YANKTON   COLLEGE 


YANKTON  COLLEGE 


A  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


BY 

WILLIAM  JOHN  McMURTRY,  M.  A. 


YANKTON,  S.  D. 
1907 


CONTENTS 


Page 
INTRODUCTION 7 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  LOCALITY n 

CHAPTER  II 
THE  FOUNDING 14 

CHAPTER  III 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD 24 

CHAPTER  IV 
THE  DEATH  or  PRESIDENT  WARD 64 

CHAPTER  V 
THE  INTERREGNUM 73 

CHAPTER  VI 
THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  FREE 84 

CHAPTER  VII 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  :  FIRST 
PERIOD 96 

CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN:  SEC- 
OND PERIOD 112 

CHAPTER  IX 

THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE 144 


M123338 


INTRODUCTION 


Among  all  the  various  agencies,  so  manifold  in  origin, 
so  diverse  in  quality,  that  have  been  working  together 
upon  the  great  task  of  fitly  fashioning  the  structure 
of  what,  we  trust,  is  yet  to  be  the  world's  noblest  civili- 
zation, few  are  more  worthy  of  honor,  because  few  have 
been  more  potent  for  good,  than  is  the  institution  known 
as  the  American  College.  Transferred  from  Old  to 
New  England  at  the  time  when  the  foundations  of 
American  life  were  being  laid,  ever  has  it  stood  as  the 
foremost  representative  and  champion  of  those  princi- 
ples of  idealism,  of  that  supreme  regard  for  the  things 
of  the  spirit,  the  complete  and  lasting  dominance  of 
which  over  the  more  material  elements  of  life  is  the 
most  vital  condition  of  America's  successful  accom- 
plishment of  her  mission.  And  so,  from  the  colleges 
have  come  forth  countless  leaders  and  inspirers  of  the 
nation's  higher  life  and  aspirations,  whether  the  strug- 
gle were  against  the  blighting  curse  of  slavery,  against 
ignorance,  superstition,  and  misery,  in  our  own  and 
foreign  lands,  or  against  the  unscrupulous,  grasping, 
corrupting  schemes  of  predatory  wealth.  Step  by  step, 
they  have  accompanied  the  nation's  mighty  onward 
march  over  the  continent;  so  that  their  moulding,  up- 
lifting influence  has  been,  and  is  being,  potently  exerted 

7 


8  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  from  the  Lakes  to  the 
Gulf. 

While  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  universities 
founded  in  more  recent  times  by  numerous  states, 
springing  as  they  did  from  the  same  conditions  of  life 
as  the  colleges,  and  with  faculties  composed  to  a  large 
extent  of  men  trained  therein,  have  been  largely  ani- 
mated by  a  like  spirit  and  ideals,  and  have  undoubt- 
edly made  very  valuable  contributions  of  their  own  to 
the  thought,  the  activities,  and  life  of  their  respective 
commonwealths,  and  of  the  country  at  large;  neverthe- 
less, it  remains  true  that  the  characteristic  contribu- 
tion made  by  the  College  as  an  institution  to  the  en- 
richment and  ennoblement  of  American  life  has  been, 
in  a  preeminent  degree,  the  gift  of  the  institutions  estab- 
lished under  distinctively  religious  auspices.  In  this 
great  and  beneficent  work  of  planting  and  nurturing 
colleges,  the  Congregational  churches  have  taken  the 
lead;  and  in  all  the  splendid  record  of  the  services  ren- 
dered by  these  churches  to  the  intellectual,  political, 
moral  and  religious  life  of  the  country,  of  no  single 
item  are  they  more  justly  proud  than  of  the  conspicuous 
part  they  have  played  in  the  founding  and  developing 
of  institutions  of  higher  learning.  Established  in  weak- 
ness and  poverty,  in  scantiness  of  equipment  and 
resources,  all  these  institutions  were ;  yet  the  mere  men- 
tion of  such  names  as  Harvard  and  Yale,  Amherst 
and  Williams,  Dartmouth  and  Bowdoin,  Beloit  and 
Oberlin,  Iowa  and  Colorado,  is  enough  to  show  how 
wisely  the  foundations  were  laid.  It  is  not  too  much  to 


INTRODUCTION  9 

say  that,  in  whatever  section  of  the  country  a  Congre- 
gational college  has  been  established,  it  has  taken  a 
leading  position  in  upholding  high  standards  of  scholar- 
ship, and  enlightened  and  worthy  ideals  of  life,  both 
public  and  private. 

The  following  pages  have  as  their  object  to  set  forth 
the  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  establishment  and 
growth  of  one  of  the  youngest  in  the  noble  sisterhood 
of  Congregational  colleges.  To  her  belongs  the  honor 
of  being  the  first  institution  of  higher  learning,  in  a  vast, 
newly  settled  region  of  our  country,  to  throw  open  its 
doors  to  students.  Though  only  the  brief  span  of  a 
quarter-century  measures  the  period  of  her  existence, 
yet  those  who  are  familiar  with  her  work,  her  spirit, 
and  her  achievements,  believe  that  she  is  showing  herself 
worthy  of  her  ancestry;  and  that  her  older  and  more 
famous  sisters  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  the 
relationship.  In  her  case,  no  less  than  in  theirs,  a  large- 
minded  and  far-seeing  leadership  has  been  displayed; 
her  history,  like  theirs,  includes  pages  brightened  by 
instances  of  unselfish  devotion;  her  spirit,  like  theirs, 
has  been  that  of  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  sound  learning 
and  the  thorough  training  of  youthful  minds  and  hearts 
for  intelligent,  sane,  and  useful  living. 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  LOCALITY 

The  original  Territory  of  Dakota,  consisting  in  part 
of  the  present  States  of  North  and  South  Dakota,  con- 
stituted a  considerable  portion  of  that  vast  domain 
known  as  Louisiana,  which  was  purchased  by  the 
United  States  from  Napoleon  in  1803.  The  Lewis  and 
Clark  expedition  of  1804-6  made  their  way  through  it, 
following  the  course  of  the  Missouri  river.  They  de- 
scribed various  localities  along  the  river,  among  them 
the  site  of  the  future  city  of  Yankton,  which  the  journal 
of  the  expedition  pictures  as  "a  handsome  prairie 
gently  rising  from  the  river  on  the  north  side,  a  small 
distance  above  which  are  beautiful  groves  of  cotton- 
wood  on  both  sides  of  the  river."  For  many  years  after 
this  interesting  glimpse  of  the  location  of  our  College 
was  given,  the  far-reaching  Dakota  prairies  continued 
to  be  the  home  of  roving  bands  of  fierce  Sioux  warriors 
and  vast  herds  of  buffalo.  Now  and  then,  they  were 
penetrated  by  adventurous  trappers  and  hunters. 
Upon  the  maps  of  school  geographies,  the  region  — 
now  largely  covered  with  fertile  and  prosperous  farms 
and  including  one  of  the  greatest  wheat-producing  areas 
of  the  world  —  was  designated  as  the  "  Great  Ameri- 
can Desert."  In  1857,  a  white  settlement  was  estab- 
lished at  Sioux  Falls;  but  owing  to  the  hostile  attitude 


17 


YANKTON   COLLEGE 


of  the  Indians,  which  found  disastrous  expression  in  the 
Minnesota  massacres,  this  settlement  was  abandoned  in 
1862.  In  1858,  a  trading-post  was  established  on  the  site 
of  Yankton,  near  the  confluence  of  the  James  river  with 
the  Missouri,  where  previously  an  Indian  village  had 
been  located.  During  the  Indian  troubles  of  1862,  all 
the  white  settlers  in  that  region  fled  to  Yankton  for 
refuge;  and  a  stockade  was  erected  for  defence.  Al- 
though the  savages  could  be  seen  on  the  hills  to  the  west- 
ward, no  attack  wa's  made. 

In  1 86 1,  a  Territorial  organization  was  conferred  by 
the  National  Government ;  and  in  that  year  Territorial 
officials  were  appointed  by  President  Lincoln.  Yank- 
ton  was  the  capital  of  the  new  Territory.  At  first, 
owing  to  the  total  lack  of  railroads  and  the  fear  of  the 
Indians,  but  slow  progress  was  made  in  settlement  and 
development;  but  when  the  railroads  came,  and  the 
Indians  had  been  pacified  and  removed  to  reservations, 
a  new  era  began;  and  settlers  poured  into  the  Terri- 
tory in  ever  increasing  numbers.  In  1868,  the  popula- 
tion was  only  about  twelve  thousand.  In  1880,  it  had 
increased  to  a  little  over  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
thousand.  From  this  time  on,  there  was  rapid  ad- 
vancement in  population,  in  the  building  of  towns,  and 
in  development  of  every  sort,  despite  grasshoppers,  hail, 
and  drought.  In  1883,  greatly  to  the  disgust  of  the 
more  thickly  settled  southern  portion  of  the  Territory, 
the  capital  was  moved  from  Yankton  to  Bismarck,  the 
future  capital  of  North  Dakota.  Very  early  in  the 
history  of  the  Territory,  there  grew  up  a  sentiment  in 


THE  LOCALITY  13 

favor  of  division,  and  the  formation  of  two,  or  even 
three,  states.  As  the  population  increased,  the  demand 
for  statehood  grew  in  strength;  and  constitutional 
conventions  were  held  in  1883  and  in  1885.  Not  until 
1889,  however,  did  Congress  take  action.  In  that  year, 
the  Territory  of  Dakota  was  divided,  and  became  the 
States  of  North  and  South  Dakota.  South  Dakota 
comprised  an  area  of  77,650  square  miles,  containing  a 
population  of  over  300,  ooo  at  the  time  of  admission  to 
the  Union.  At  the  present  time,  this  number  has  prob- 
ably increased  to  half  a  million  people,  who  have  come 
partly  from  the  more  eastern  states,  partly  from  Europe. 
In  the  latter  class,  the  Scandinavians,  Germans,  and 
Bohemians  are  largely  represented. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    FOUNDING 

In  1868,  Yankton  was  a  frontier  village,  known  far 
and  wide  as  the  capital  of  the  Territory  of  Dakota,  and 
as  an  important  point  in  the  steamboat  traffic  of  the 
Missouri  river.  Though  the  presence  of  government 
officials  imparted  something  of  dignity  to  the  life  of  the 
place,  yet  the  characteristic  vices  of  the  "river  town" 
were  fully  in  evidence;  and  deeds  of  murderous  violence 
were  by  no  means  unknown.  Naturally,  the  Indians 
were  a  conspicuous  feature  of  the  street-scenes.  Dur- 
ing that  year,  a  Congregational  church  —  the  first  of 
that  denomination  to  be  established  in  Dakota  —  was 
organized,  with  a  membership  of  eleven  persons,  two 
of  whom  —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ephraim  Miner  —  are  still 
actively  connected  with  the  same  church.  For  a  brief 
time,  the  church  services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  E.  W. 
Cook,  and  for  a  still  briefer  time,  by  Rev.  J.  D.  Bell. 
The  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  under  the 
auspices  of  which  the  church  had  been  organized,  had 
the  great  good  fortune  to  secure,  as  the  permanent 
pastor,  Joseph  Ward,  a  young  man  who  had  just  grad- 
uated from  the  Andover  Theological  Seminary.  Ac- 
companied by  his  young  bride,  Mr.  Ward  arrived  in 
Yankton  on  November  6,  1868,  coming  by  stage  from 
Sioux  City. 

14 


THE   FOUNDING  15 

Under  Mr.  Ward's  pastorate,  the  church  prospered; 
and  in  less  than  two  years,  a  commodious  building  had 
been  completed.  From  the  very  first,  the  people  of  the 
church  felt  that,  in  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward,  they  had  se- 
cured leaders  and  helpers  of  rare  efficiency.  Coming 
from  cultured  and  refined  surroundings  in  New  Eng- 
land, they  threw  themselves,  heart  and  soul,  into  the 
unformed  life  of  the  little  frontier  community;  and 
started  waves  of  influence  that  gradually  spread  far  and 
wide  through  the  vast  Territory  extending  so  far  to  the 
northward  and  westward.  Soon,  Joseph  Ward  was 
one  of  the  best  known,  one  of  the  most  influential  men 
in  all  the  wide  expanse  of  Dakota.  And  this  was  no 
accident;  for  Joseph  Ward  was  no  ordinary  man. 
Large  of  frame,  he  was  equally  large  in  mind  and  heart. 
Descended  from  excellent  New  England  stock,  with  the 
blood  in  his  veins  of  that  General  Artemas  Ward  who 
commanded  the  American  troops  in  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  he  had  received  a  thorough  intellectual  equipment 
for  his  future  career.  He  was  fitted  for  college  at  the 
famous  Phillips  Academy,  at  Andover,  Massachusetts, 
and  graduated  from  Brown  University.  His  theological 
training  he  received  at  the  Andover  Seminary,  at  that 
time  one  of  the  most  flourishing  schools  of  theology  in 
the  country,  with  men  on  its  faculty  of  national  repu- 
tation for  scholarship  and  ability  as  teachers.  But 
after  all,  his  own  native  endowments  were  his  greatest 
strength.  Genial  and  helpful  in  disposition,  to  the 
modesty  of  a  child  he  added  the  insight  and  faith  of  a 
prophet,  and  the  largeness  of  aim  of  a  statesman.  In 


16  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

close  association  with  the  leaders  of  Territorial  affairs, 
and  regarded  by  them  as  a  wise  and  trusted  counsellor, 
he  exercised  a  strong  and  helpful  influence  in  favor  of 
everything  that  was  good,  and  that  tended  to  the  better- 
ment of  the  plastic  life  and  institutions  of  the  future 
Dakotan  commonwealths. 

Next  to  religion,  conceived  of  in  a  vital  way  as  the 
supreme  concern  of  the  human  spirit,  the  interests  of 
education  lay  nearest  to  Mr.  Ward's  heart.  Natural 
as  was  this  attitude  in  his  case,  his  bent  toward  it  was 
made  still  stronger  by  the  fact  that  Dr.  Badger,  the 
secretary  at  that  time  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society, 
in  the  final  interview  before  Mr.  Ward's  departure  for 
his  far-western  field  of  labor,  admonished  him  that  he 
must  do  what  he  could  to  promote  the  interests  of 
Christian  education  in  the  new  region.  That  injunc- 
tion was  never  forgotten;  and  faithfully,  yes,  with 
uttermost  fidelity,  was  it  carried  out.  Early  in  his 
career  at  Yankton,  he  took  the  lead  in  a  movement 
that  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  an  academy  —  the 
earliest  educational  institution  above  the  common 
school  grade  that  came  into  existence  in  Dakota.  When 
the  legislature  passed  a  law,  framed  by  Mr.  Ward, 
establishing  a  satisfactory  system  of  public  schools,  in- 
cluding high  schools,  the  academy  was  transformed 
into  the  Yankton  High  School.  As  president  of  the 
Yankton  school  board,  he  took  the  lead  in  developing 
the  school  system  of  the  City.  In  recognition  of  his 
zealous  interest  in  educational  progress,  an  attempt 
was  once  made,  without  success,  to  induce  him  to  accept 


THE  FOUNDING  17 

the  position  of  Territorial  Superintendent  of  Education. 
However,  Mr.  Ward  felt  that  not  yet  had  he  done  his 
full  duty  in  the  field  of  education.  From  the  first,  he 
had  cherished  in  his  heart  the  thought  of  establishing 
a  college,  an  institution  devoted  to  the  higher  training 
of  the  young  people  of  the  new  country,  under  the  con- 
trolling influence  of  the  Christian  ideal  of  self-sacrificing 
service.  Even  yet,  there  are  a  few  old  residents  of 
Yankton  who  tell  of  the  incredulous  amazement  with 
which  they  heard  Mr.  Ward  broach  the  idea  of  starting 
a  college  in  that  wild,  sparsely  settled  region,  still  occu- 
pied mainly  by  Indians.  But  the  prophetic  vision 
remained  undimmed;  and  the  scheme  was  unceasingly 
urged  upon  the  attention  of  the  representatives  of  the 
Congregational  churches,  now  gradually  increasing  in 
number.  At  length  the  General  Association  took  the 
first  step,  at  a  session  held  at  Canton,  May  20,  1875,  by 
the  appointment  of  a  College  Committee.  This  com- 
mittee was  continued  from  year  to  year;  until,  at  a 
special  meeting,  held  again  at  Canton,  May  25,  1881, 
the  Association  ratified  the  recommendation  of  its 
committee  that  a  college  be  established,  and  located  the 
institution  at  Yankton,  in  consideration  of  the  offer  of 
eleven  thousand  dollars  and  a  site.  Of  the  eleven 
thousand  dollars,  nine  thousand  was  contributed  by  the 
Yankton  Congregational  Church.  The  name  of  the 
College  was  determined  by  its  location;  the  original 
intention  was  that  it  should  be  called  Pilgrim  College. 
That  the  institution  is  the  child  of  the  General  Associa- 
tion of  Congregational  Churches,  has  found  its  most 


i8  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

tangible  indication  in  the  fact  that,  from  the  first,  the 
Association  has  annually  appointed  a  committee  to 
visit  the  College  and  report  upon  its  condition.  In  his 
efforts  to  secure  the  founding  of  the  institution,  Mr. 
Ward  found  an  efficient  supporter  in  Rev.  Charles 
Seccombe,  of  Springfield,  who  had,  at  an  earlier 
period,  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  establishment  of 
Carleton  College,  in  Minnesota. 

In  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  Territory,  a  body 
known  as  the  College  Association  of  Dakota  was 
formed,  "for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  Christian 
college  in  Dakota,"  and  to  form  a  corporation  whose 
business  it  should  be  to  administer  the  affairs  of  the 
new  institution.  On  August  2,  1881,  a  meeting  of  this 
association  was  held,  with  Newton  Edmunds,  an  ex- 
governor  of  the  Territory,  still  residing  in  Yankton, 
acting  as  President,  and  Joseph  Ward  as  Secretary,  at 
which  articles  of  incorporation  were  adopted.  The 
incorporators  were  to  be  a  self-perpetuating  body, 
entrusted  with  the  general  management  of  the  College, 
but  carrying  on  the  actual  administration  of  its  affairs 
through  a  Board  of  nine  Trustees,  to  be  elected  from 
and  by  the  Corporate  Body.  At  this  same  meeting, 
the  incorporators  elected  the  following  gentlemen  as 
provisional  Trustees:  Joseph  Ward,  of  Yankton; 
Stewart  Sheldon,  of  Yankton;  Edward  P.  Wilcox,  of 
Yankton;  Lucius  Kingsbury,  of  Canton;  John  R. 
Jackson,  of  Valley  Springs;  Charles  Seccombe,  of 
Springfield;  Newton  Edmunds,  of  Yankton;  Ephraim 
Miner,  of  Yankton;  Josiah  R.  Sanborn,  of  Yankton. 
Of  these  men,  four  were  Congregational  clergymen; 


THE  FOUNDING  19 

four  were  Congregational  laymen;  while  Governor 
Edmunds  was  an  Episcopalian.  One  of  them  — 
Edward  P.  Wilcox  —  is  at  the  present  time  serving  on 
the  Board  of  Trustees.  Rev.  Stewart  Sheldon  was  the 
brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Ward,  and  father  of  Charles  M. 
Sheldon,  noted  as  the  author  of  "In  His  Steps." 

According  to  the  Articles  of  Incorporation,  eleven 
professorships  were  to  be  ultimately  established  in  the 
College,  the  holders  of  which  were  to  be  designated  as 
follows:  (i)  President  and  Professor  of  Moral  and 
Intellectual  Philosophy  and  Natural  Theology;  (2)  Pro- 
fessor of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature;  (3)  Pro- 
fessor of  the  Greek  Language  and  Literature;  (4)  Pro- 
fessor of  Physics  and  Astronomy;  (5)  Professor  of 
Rhetoric,  English  Literature,  and  Elocution;  (6)  Pro- 
fessor of  Modern  Languages;  (7)  Professor  of  Music 
and  Painting;  (8)  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Miner- 
alogy; (9)  Professor  of  Geology  and  Natural  History; 
(10)  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Civil  Engineering; 
(n)  Professor  of  History  and  Political  Economy.  At 
the  present  time,  there  are  ten  regular  professorships 
covering  much  the  same  field  of  instruction  as  that 
marked  out  by  the  list,  though  with  a  considerable 
divergence  in  the  division  of  the  work. 

The  Charter  of  the  College  bears  the  date  of  August 
30,  1 88 1,  and  reads  as  follows: 

TERRITORY  OF  DAKOTA 

CERTIFICATE  OF  CORPORATE   EXISTENCE 

WHEREAS,  Joseph  Ward,  Lucius  Kingsbury, 
John  R.  Jackson,  and  others,  have  filed  in  this  office  a 


20  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

certificate  or  declaration  in  writing,  as  provided  in 
Section  389  of  the  Civil  Code  of  this  Territory,  setting 
forth  all  the  facts  required  to  be  stated  in  Sections  386, 
539,  and  547  of  said  Civil  Code,  and  have  in  all  respects 
complied  with  the  requirements  of  the  law  governing 
the  formation  of  Private  Corporations,  as  contained  in 
the  Civil  Code  of  this  Territory,  now,  therefore,  I, 
Geo.  H.  Hand,  Secretary  of  the  Territory  of  Dakota, 
in  virtue  and  by  authority  of  law,  do  hereby  certify  that 
said  parties,  their  associates  and  successors,  have 
become  a  body  politic  and  corporate  under  the  corporate 
name  of  Yankton  College,  and  by  that  name  have  a 
right  to  sue  and  be  sued,  purchase,  hold  and  convey 
real  and  personal  property  and  to  have  and  enjoy  all 
the  rights  and  privileges  granted  to  a  private  Corpora 
tion,  under  the  laws  of  this  Territory,  subject  to  their 
Articles  of  Incorporation,  and  all  legal  restrictions  and 
liabilities  in  relation  thereto. 

IN  TESTIMONY  WHEREOF,  I  have  hereunto 
set  my  hand  and  affixed  the  Great  Seal  of  the  Territory 
of  Dakota. 

Done  at  Yankton  this  3oth  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1881. 
(Signed)     Geo.  H.  Hand, 

Secretary  of  Dakota  Territory. 

On  Sunday,  October  30,  the  plot  of  ground  designed 
for  the  Campus  of  the  newly  founded  institution,  lying 
just  north  of  the  town  upon  a  hill,  since  known  as 
College  Hill,  was  consecrated  by  a  public  meeting  to 
the  cause  of  Christian  Education.  Addresses  were 
made  by  Rev.  Joseph  Ward,  of  Yankton,  and  Rev. 


THE   FOUNDING  21 

C.  W.  Shelton,  of  Dell  Rapids.  Seven  members  of  the 
"Yale  Dakota  Band"  were  present,  namely:  Messrs. 
Case,  Fisk,  Holp,  Hubbard,  Reitzel,  Shelton,  and  Thrall. 

On  June  15,  1882,  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  build- 
ing of  the  College  was  laid  with  much  ceremony.  The 
citizens  of  the  town  were  largely  represented;  the  chil- 
dren of  the  public  schools  were  present  in  a  body,  and 
representatives  of  the  Territorial  and  City  governments 
took  part  in  the  exercises.  This  building,  now  known 
as  Middle  Hall,  is  a  substantial  and  sightly  structure, 
containing  three  stories  and  basement,  and  is  built  of 
Sioux  Falls  jasper.  It  was  not  ready  for  occupancy 
until  the  beginning  of  the  second  year's  work  of  the 
College.  Consequently,  the  first  sessions  were  held  in 
the  chapel  of  the  Congregational  Church,  beginning 
October  4, 1882,  wih  five  pupils  present.  These  five  — 
including  the  first  young  people  of  Dakota  to  enter 
upon  the  pursuit  of  the  higher  education  in  a  home 
institution  —  were  the  following:  William  P.  Dewey, 
Jr.,  of  Yankton;  Edward  D.  Disbrow  of  Akron,  Iowa; 
Edgar  M.  Hand,  of  Yankton;  Jennie  D.  Ketchum,  of 
Yankton,  and  Lena  D.  McGlumphy,  of  Yankton, 
now  Mrs.  J.  E.  Branch.  The  second  name  in  the 
list  shows  that,  from  the  very  first,  the  College  has 
reached  out  beyond  the  Dakotan  boundaries  for  its 
students — a  natural  result  of  the  location  of  Yankton. 

During  the  first  year,  the  actual  work  of  instruction 
was  carried  on,  with  great  faithfulness,  by  Professor 
William  M.  Bristoll  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Rosa  O.  Bristoll. 
Professor  Bristoll  had  been,  for  eight  years,  Superin- 


22  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

tendent  of  Schools  in  Yankton.  He  was  given  the 
official  designation  of  Professor  of  Latin  and  Principal 
of  the  Preparatory  Department.  A  small  building, 
containing  three  rooms,  situated  just  south  of  the 
Church,  was  subsequently  rented  to  house  the  infant 
College,  and  was  occupied  during  the  first  year.  This 
structure  is  still  in  existence,  though  it  has  been  removed 
from  its  former  location.  In  the  course  of  the  year, 
additional  students  entered,  so  that  the  total  attendance 
for  the  year  reached  the  very  respectable  number  of 
forty-one.  Some  years  afterwards,  one  of  this  company 
wrote  for  the  College  paper  an  article  giving  some 
reminiscences  of  this  Year  i  in  the  life  of  the  College. 
Speaking  of  the  chapel  services  he  says: 

"Dr.  Ward  read  out  of  a  little  old  leather-covered 
Bible;  and  Professor  Bristoll  played  upon  the  little 
wheezy  old  organ,  now  in  the  Congregational  Chapel. 
Right  after  chapel,  the  first  class  that  ever  studied 
Goodwin's  Greek  Grammar  in  Yankton  recited;  and 
that  class  worked  as  hard  as  any  class  in  Yankton  ever 
has  worked  over  their  Greek.  Virgil  was  read  all  the 
year  by  the  Senior  Preparatory  class." 

It  seems  that,  on  one  point,  the  writer  of  the  above 
was  mistaken;  because  Rev.  Charles  M.  Sheldon  states 
that  he  himself  constituted  a  class  of  one,  which  began 
the  study  of  Greek  in  the  Yankton  High  School,  at  a 
period  preceding  the  birth  of  the  College. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  held  on  Jan- 
uary 1 6,  1883,  the  following  resolution  was  offered  by 
Rev.  Charles  Seccombe: 


THE  FOUNDING  23 

RESOLVED,  First,  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board 
the  time  has  come  for  choosing  a  president  for  Yankton 
College. 

Second,  that  Rev.  Joseph  Ward,  of  Yankton,  is  the 
man  we  need  and  desire  for  that  position;  and  that  we, 
therefore,  unanimously  invite  and  urge  him  to  accept 
the  position,  and  enter  at  once  upon  the  work. 

On  motion  of  Rev.  L.  Kingsbury,  the  resolution  was 
unanimously  adopted. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD  (1883-1889) 

In  May,  1883,  Mr.  Ward  gave  up  his  pastorate,  in 
order  to  devote  all  his  time  and  strength  to  the  upbuild- 
ing and  development  of  the  College.  Plans  were  made 
for  a  substantial  enlargement  of  the  work  for  the  coming 
year.  The  Faculty  was  constituted  as  follows:  Rev. 
Joseph  Ward,  President  and  Professor  of  Mental  and 
Moral  Philosophy;  Rev.  E.  C.  Norton,  Professor  of 
Greek  and  Instructor  in  Mathematics;  Rev.  John  T. 
Shaw,  Professor  of  Latin  and  Principal  of  the  Prepar- 
atory Department;  Celia  E.  Whiteman  and  Ellen  A. 
Norton,  Assistants  in  the  Preparatory  Department; 
Mrs.  Rosalie  T.  Shelton,  Teacher  of  Freehand  Draw- 
ing; Jean  H.  Ward,  Teacher  of  Painting;  Kate  C. 
Wheaton,  Teacher  of  Music.— Rev.  C.  W.  Shelton, 
Field  Agent.  Professors  Norton  and  Shaw  played  a 
large  part  in  the  life  and  development  of  the  CoHege 
during  those  early  years.  Both  were  young  men  of 
ability  and  good  training  —  the  former,  a  graduate  of 
Amherst,  who  had  taken  graduate  work  at  Johns  Hop- 
kins; the  latter,  a  graduate  of  Brown  University  and 
of  Andover  Seminary.  Doubtless,  President  Ward 
cherished  the  hope  that  they  would  remain  perma- 
nently with  the  College,  but  such  was  not  to  be  the  case. 
Professor  Shaw,  as  Principal  of  the  Preparatory  De- 

24 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT  WARD     25 

partment,  displayed  in  a  marked  degree  the  ability  to 
gain  the  respect  and  liking  of  boys  and  young  men. 

The  course  of  study,  as  outlined  in  the  first  catalogue 
for  the  ensuing  year,  embraced  a  Sub-Preparatory 
course  of  two  years,  a  Preparatory  course  of  three  years, 
and  the  College  course  proper,  a  four-years  course. 
The  fact  that  two  years  of  Sub-Preparatory  work  were 
offered,  was  doubtless  due  to  the  undeveloped  condition 
of  the  public  schools  of  the  Territory.  Nevertheless, 
the  Sub-Preparatory  course  is  omitted  in  the  following 
catalogue,  and  remains  invisible  for  a  number  of  years, 
to  reappear  finally  as  a  one-year  course ;  in  which  form 
it  has  survived  down  to  the  present  time.  The  Prepara- 
tory and  College  courses  each  included  a  Classical  and 
a  Scientific  course,  the  only  point  of  difference  being 
that,  in  the  latter,  the  place  of  Greek  was  taken  through- 
out by  modern  studies.  Latin  was  required  of  both 
Classical  and  Scientific  students  during  two  years  of 
their  College  work.  Classical  students  spent  the  same 
time  upon  their  Greek.  That  was  before  the  day  of 
electives;  and  these  courses  of  study  share  in  both  the 
merits  and  the  defects  of  the  college  curricula  of  that 
period.  The  fact  that,  at  the  very  start,  President 
Ward  laid  down  courses  abreast  of  the  standards  cus- 
tomary at  that  time  in  old  and  well-established  insti- 
tutions, showed  his  determination  to  aim  high,  in  spite 
of  all  temptations  to  the  contrary  procedure.  If  any 
are  inclined  to  raise  the  objection,  that  it  was  prepos- 
terous to  think  of  teaching  such  courses,  with  the  small 
faculty  and  meager  outfit  at  hand,  they  are  reminded 


26  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

that,  in  this  second  year  of  the  life  of  the  College,  only 
the  Freshman  class  was  represented  in  the  College 
proper;  and,  furthermore,  the  President  was  confidently 
hoping  that  the  teaching  force  and  equipment  would 
increase,  as  need  arose. 

The  list  of  students  shows  eight  in  the  College  proper, 
all  classed  as  Freshmen,  three  young  men  and  five 
young  women,  all  of  the  latter  being  designated  as 
11  special."  Moreover,  each  of  the  three  classes  of  the 
Preparatory  Department  had  a  goodly  number  en- 
rolled, as  well  as  the  Sub-Preparatory,  or  English 
Department.  Then,  too,  the  Musical  and  Art  Depart- 
ments make  a  good  showing  in  the  number  taking  those 
lines  of  work. 

Another  token  of  progress  is  the  fact  that  the  students 
organized,  in  the  spring  of  1884,  the  Yankton  College 
Christian  Association.  A  weekly  students'  prayer- 
meeting  had  been  held  from  the  very  first;  and  the 
Christian  Association  grew  out  of  this,  the  purpose  in  its 
organization  being  to  take  charge  of  this  prayer-meeting, 
and  also  of  the  other  distinctively  religious  activities 
of  the  students,  for  example,  Sunday  School  work  in 
country  school-houses  round  about  Yankton.  For  a 
considerable  number  of  years,  this  organization,  entirely 
local  in  its  character,  carried  out  with  a  good  measure 
of  efficiency  the  objects  for  which  it  was  established; 
but  finally,  in  1894,  it  was  decided  to  divide  the  Associa- 
tion into  two,  one  for  young  men  and  the  other  for 
young  women,  each  to  be  connected  with  the  inter- 
national College  Christian  Associations. 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT  WARD     27 

At  the  close  of  the  second  college  year  (1883-4),  it 
was  felt  that  much  progress  had  been  made;  and  that 
everything  pointed  toward  a  prosperous  year  to  come. 
Robert  B.  Riggs,  a  son  of  Stephen  Riggs,  the  well- 
known  missionary  among  the  Indians,  and  a  younger 
brother  of  Alfred  and  Thomas  Riggs,  the  missionary 
brothers,  who  had  secured  his  doctor's  degree  in  Ger- 
many, accepted  a  call  to  the  chair  of  Chemistry,  with 
the  understanding  that  he  would  come  when  needed. 
Announcement  was  made  in  the  catalogue  that  Miss 
Causine  Kern,  a  graduate  of  the  New  England  Con- 
servatory of  Music,  would  have  charge  of  Vocal  Music 
for  the  coming  year;  also  that  a  competent  teacher  of 
German  (Mrs.  E.  C.  Norton)  had  been  secured.  A 
College  boarding  hall  was  provided,  over  which  Miss 
M.  A.  Shepard  presided  as  Matron. 

The  courses  of  study  remained  much  the  same  as 
they  were  announced  in  the  catalogue  of  the  preceding 
year,  except  that  students  taking  the  Scientific  course 
were  required  to  study  Greek  as  well  as  Latin,  to  the 
end  of  the  Freshman  year.  From  the  standpoint  of  a 
Scientific  student  of  the  present  day,  such  a  course 
would  indeed  be  a  weariness  to  the  flesh.  A  new  depart- 
ure is  the  announcement  of  a  Teachers'  course  —  a 
feature  of  the  work  of  the  College  that  has  persisted 
down  to  the  present  time.  The  course  as  announced 
covered  four  years,  and  included  no  foreign  languages. 

The  library  now  comes  into  view;  and  the  following 
interesting  statements  are  made  in  relation  thereto: 
"The  library  has  been  increased  during  the  past  year 


28  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

by  more  than  a  thousand  volumes,  and  is  open  to  stu- 
dents of  the  College  without  charge.  Great  care  has 
been  taken  to  secure  valuable  books  of  reference;  and 
the  foundation  of  an  excellent  reference  library  is  laid. 
Among  the  generous  friends  who  have  donated  books 
are:  The  Ladies'  Library  Association,  Yankton;  Mr. 
A.  W.  Barber,  Yankton;  Mr.  Butler  Ward,  Leroy, 
New  York;  Rev.  S.  Norton,  Pierre;  Rev.  A.  L.  Riggs, 
Santee  Agency,  Nebraska;  Rev.  E.  C.  Chittenden, 
Sioux  City,  Iowa;  General  W.  H.  H.  Beadle,  Yankton; 
Amos  C.  Barstow,  Providence,  Rhode  Island." 

Surely,  those  who  were  the  first  to  respond  to  this 
fundamental  need  of  the  new-born  institution,  deserve 
to  have  their  names  gratefully  recorded. 

Another  addition  to  the  equipment  is  announced  in 
the  following  words:  "At  the  beginning  of  the  year, 
the  Dakota  Scientific  Association  prese'nted  to  the  Col- 
lege a  valuable  geological  and  mineralogical  cabinet, 
including  a  full  collection  of  the  ores  of  the  Black  Hills, 
besides  collections  of  minerals,  fossils,  shells,  etc.  The 
additions  made  to  this  cabinet  during  the  year  render 
it  complete  enough  already  to  be  of  great  service  in 
different  lines  of  scientific  study." 

A  statement  also  appears  regarding  a  matter  that  has 
aroused  keen  interest  in  the  student-mind,  from  those 
early  days  down  to  the  present.  It  appears  under  the 
heading  "Prizes."  Perhaps,  the  first  records  of  a 
system  so  fraught  with  pleasant  memories  for  many 
successive  generations  of  students  deserve  quotation: 
"Three  prizes  are  offered,  as  follows:  first,  a  prize  of 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     29 

ten  dollars,  open  to  members  of  the  Freshman  class, 
for  the  best  debate  on  an  assigned  question;  second, 
a  first  prize  of  twelve  dollars,  and  a  second  of  eight 
dollars,  open  to  boys  of  the  Preparatory  Department, 
for  excellence  in  declamation;  third,  a  first  prize  of 
twelve,  and  a  second  of  eight  dollars,  open  to  the  girls 
of  the  College,  for  excellence  in  select  reading.  The 
prize  for  the  best  debate  was  awarded,  for  1884,  to 
W.  T.  Flanagan  and  E.  H.  Pound,  both  of  Yankton. 
The  first  prize  for  excellence  in  declamation  was 
awarded  to  R.  S.  Cooley,  of  Niobrara,  Nebraska;  the 
second  prize  to  F.  B.  Riggs,  of  Santee  Agency,  Ne- 
braska. The  first  prize  for  excellence  in  select  reading 
was  awarded  to  Miss  Lulu  M.  Etter,  of  Yankton;  the 
second  to  Miss  May  Beadle,  of  Yankton." 

The  declamation  prizes  were  contributed  by  various 
citizens;  the  prize  for  debate  by  Hon.  Bartlett  Tripp,  of 
Yankton,  who  has  continued  it  through  all  the  years 
since.  It  is  now  known  as  the  prize  for  the  Flanagan 
Prize  Debate.  It  was  fitting  that  W.  T.  Flanagan,  as 
a  memorial  to  whom  it  was  made  permanent,  should  be 
one  of  the  first  to  win  it.  The  two  other  contests  are 
the  ancestors  of  the  present  Declamation  Contest  of 
Young  Men  of  the  Academy  and  the  Declamation  Con- 
test of  Young  Women  of  College  and  Academy.  In 
the  following  year,  Professor  J.  W.  Churchill,  of  An- 
dover,  gave  twenty-five  dollars,  divided  into  three  prizes, 
in  connection  with  the  Boys'  Declamation  Contest — 
a  gift  which  was  repeated  annually  during  the  life  of 
the  donor.  In  1891,  the  Alumni  Association  estab- 


30  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

lished  three  prizes,  amounting  to  twenty-five  dollars, 
for  the  victors  in  the  Young  Women's  Declamation 
Contest. 

The  opening  of  the  college  year  1884-5  was  made 
memorable  by  one  of  the  most  notable  occasions  in  the 
history  of  the  College,  namely:  the  dedication  of  the 
new  building  —  and  the  new  building  was  at  that  time 
Yankton  College  —  and  in  connection  therewith  the 
ceremony  of  the  inauguration  of  President  Ward. 
Although  the  building,  the  construction  of  which  I 
have  mentioned,  had  been  in  use  throughout  the  pre- 
ceding year,  nevertheless,  it  was  not  fully  completed 
until  the  summer  of  1884.  Accordingly,  elaborate 
preparations  were  made  for  its  dedication,  and  the  form- 
al induction  into  his  office  of  the  President.  The 
meeting  of  the  General  Association  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Churches  of  the  Territory  was  held  at  Yankton 
that  year,  simultaneously  with  these  interesting  Col- 
lege events,  thus  giving  the  churches  an  opportunity 
to  become  better  acquainted,  through  their  representa- 
tives, with  the  institution  recently  established  under 
their  auspices.  Never  before  had  a  meeting  of  the 
Association  been  so  largely  attended.  The  Inaugura- 
tion Service  was  held  Wednesday  evening,  September 
17.  Dr.  Ward's  address  on  this  occasion  was  a  notable 
utterance,  setting  forth  in  an  admirable  manner  the 
high  and  noble  ideals  which  he  cherished  on  behalf  of 
the  young  institution  of  which  he  had  been  chosen  the 
leader.  I  offer  no  apology  for  quoting  some  of  the 
thoughts  to  which  he  gave  expression  that  evening; 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     31 

because  such  sentiments  as  the  following  seem  to  me 
to  embody  the  most  satisfactory  justification  for  the 
establishment  and  continued  existence  of  such  insti- 
tutions : 

"If  a  college  did  nothing  else  in  this  Western  land 
than,  by  its  sharp  contrast  with  eager  haste  for  wealth 
and  power,  to  show  by  its  quiet,  patient,  long-continued 
following  of  something  that  did  not  immediately  pay, 
that  life  had  another  and  possibly  a  wiser  interpreta- 
tion, this  result  alone  would  justify  all  that  is  done  to 
build  them  up. 

"Is  it  a  small  thing  to  turn  a  man  or  woman  aside 
from  mere  gain  to  the  building  up  of  character  ?  Is  it 
nothing  to  train  up  citizens  that  can  find  no  temptation 
in  wealth  to  make  them  neglect  duty?  Is  it  wasted 
time  to  fit  men  to  do  things  thoroughly,  just  for  the 
sake  of  doing  them,  even  though  they  may  never  be 
paid  ever  so  remotely  for  it  ? 

"What  can  be  nobler  than  to  found  an  institution 
that,  by  the  simple  force  of  its  daily  life,  shall  go  out 
among  the  young  and  call  each  one  to  a  higher  life  than 
he  could  have  found  without  it ! 

"Least  of  all  can  Western  colleges  afford  to  lower  the 
standard  and  let  the  clamor  for  something  practical 
make  them  reject  the  ancient  standards.  Not  for  the 
sake  of  being  as  good  as  Eastern  colleges,  least  of  all 
to  tamely  copy  them,  but  for  the  sake  of  sterling  honesty, 
to  build  up  genuine  character,  to  stand  in  the  breach 
against  the  trading,  mercantile  spirit,  to  develop  a  race 
of  men  that  are  willing  to  work  and  wait,  and  having 


32  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

done  all  to  stand,  must  we  have  an  ideal  that  is  hard, 
not  easy,  to  reach.  Everything  is  raw  and  crude.  Our 
towns  run  wild.  It  was  not  mawkish  sentiment  that 
made  Matthew  Arnold  say  that  America  dreadfully 
needed  some  old  ruins.  He  felt  that  our  intense  life 
in  the  present  needed  to  be  balanced  by  looking  to  the 
past." 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  whatever  of  true  suc- 
cess the  College  has  hitherto  attained,  or  shall  attain 
in  the  coming  years,  is  measured  by  the  degree  in  which 
it  has  been  faithful  to  the  spirit  inspiring  these  utter- 
ances. 

On  Friday  evening,  the  address  of  dedication  was 
given  by  W.  J.  Tucker,  D.  D.,  then  a  professor  at  An- 
dover,  now  the  President  of  Dartmouth  College. 

Among  those  present  on  this  occasion  was  Dr.  Gil- 
bert, at  one  time  editor  of  The  Advance.  To  show  how 
the  College  impressed  an  outsider  at  that  early  day  in 
its  history,  I  will  quote  from  a  letter  written  by  Dr. 
Gilbert  to  The  Congregationalist,  of  October  2,  1884: 

"I  have  just  been  over  to  the  College  of  which  Dr. 
Joseph  Ward  is  President.  It  occupies  a  magnificent 
site  overlooking  the  City  and  a  superb  outreach  of 
country  up  and  down  the  Missouri.  It  has  now  but  one 
building,  but  if  you  saw  it,  you  would  be  proud  of  it, 
as  all  the  people  here  are.  It  is  built  of  handsome 
stone,  native  to  the  soil,  the  "Sioux  Falls  granite,"  or 
rather,  jasper;  has  three  stories  with  basement,  a  dome- 
shaped  bell-tower  at  one  corner,  and  a  higher  tower  at 
the  other.  It  is  finished  within  throughout  in  ash  and 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     33 

pine.  The  money  for  its  construction  came  mainly 
from  the  Yankton  Congregational  church,  which  is,  in 
fact,  the  "cherishing  mother"  of  the  College. 

"I  wish  you  could  have  been  at  the  College  Chapel 
this  morning.  The  room  is  singularly  pleasant.  Air 
and  sky  were  at  their  best,  and  they  have  plenty  of  both 
out  here.  The  Dakota  Congregational  Association 
had  adjourned  from  the  church,  and  were  present  in 
force  with  the  students.  I  confess  I  was  deeply  moved 
at  beholding  the  scene  and  thinking  of  all  which  it  sig- 
nified and  foretokened.  The  look  and  manner  of  the 
students  were  full  of  promise.  Dr.  Ward  has  a  remarka- 
bly fine  corps  of  accomplished,  devoted,  ambitious  in- 
structors, ladies  and  gentlemen,  associated  with  him. 
Among  the  students  in  these  earlier  classes  will  be  found 
some  who  will  be  heard  from  hereafter. 

"Then  again,  on  Friday  evening,  Professor  W.  J. 
Tucker,  D.  D.,  of  Andover,  gave  the  'Dedicatory  Ad- 
dress' for  the  College.  Dr.  Tucker's  manner,  by  its 
fine  blending  of  gentleness  and  power,  held  the  fascinated 
attention  of  all  throughout.  But — since  there  is  scarcely 
anything  in  the  world  so  insatiable  as  a  good  college  — 
all  this  was  not  enough.  Saturday  afternoon  was  given 
up  to  the  grand  dedicatory  services  of  the  College  build- 
ing. It  was  an  occasion  of  extraordinary  interest. 
Everything  done  and  said  was  appropriate.  The  ad- 
dresses of  Rev.  L.  Kingsbury  of  the  Trustees,  of  Presi- 
dent Ward,  of  Chief  Justice  Edgerton — who  gave  the 
most  impressive  testimony  to  the  transcendent  value 
of  such  an  institution  to  the  state  —  of  Professors  Shaw, 


34  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

Riggs,  and  Norton,  and  the  dozen  or  more  others,  were 
all  capitally  apt,  bright,  wise,  and  racy,  and  were  im- 
mensely enjoyed.  The  conviction  of  all  is  that,  seldom 
if  ever  in  our  history,  has  a  Christian  college  had  a  more 
auspicious  beginning. 

"From  these  vastly  picturesque  bluffs  and  fertile 
bottom  lands  of  the  Missouri,  I  turn  back  again  across 
the  richest  grain-fields  of  the  West,  toward  the  central 
city  of  the  Union,  on  Lake  Michigan,  with  a  burdened 
impression  as  to  the  immenseness  of  the  work  to  be 
done  —  the  joint  work  of  the  enlightened  Christian 
people,  both  East  and  West  —  in  making  sure  that  these 
newer  commonwealths  of  the  West  may  get  the  right 
start,  and  have  effectually  planted  in  them  all  the 
varied  forms  of  Christian  institutions,  which  shall 
fashion  their  molds  of  life  and  guide  their  activities 
forever." 

In  truth,  necessarily,  a  large  part  of  the  means  for 
carrying  on  such  a  work  had  to  be  sought  in  the  East. 
In  frontier  communities  like  those  of  Dakota,  in  those 
early  years,  it  could  only  be  expected  that  a  compara- 
tively small  portion  of  the  people  would  take  an  active 
and  helpful  interest  in  supporting  an  institution  of 
higher  learning.  Moreover,  even  these  few  had  but 
scanty  means  wherewith  to  give  aid,  engaged  as  they 
were  in  the  arduous  task  of  opening  up  the  resources 
of  a  new  and  undeveloped  country.  Hence,  from  the 
very  first,  a  large  and  extremely  burdensome  part  of 
Dr.  Ward's  duties  as  President  consisted  of  lengthy 
annual  sojourns  in  the  East,  especially  in  New  England 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD    35 

during  which  he  was  engaged  in  the  wearisome  task  of 
soliciting  means  for  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  Col- 
lege from  Christian,  especially  Congregational,  people 
animated  by  patriotic  and  philanthropic  impulses. 
In  fact,  one  of  the  reasons  for  the  universal  feeling  that 
Dr.  Ward  was  the  pre-eminently  fitting  man  to  be  the 
President  of  the  College,  was  the  conviction  of  his  un- 
usual adaptation  to  this  unpleasant  and  difficult  but 
inevitable  duty,  by  reason  of  his  personal  character- 
istics, and  his  acquaintance  with  men  influential  in  the 
Eastern  churches.  After  his  death,  it  was  said  of  him : 
"No  man  was  known  so  widely,  so  favorably,  outside 
of  the  commonwealth,  as  Joseph  Ward.  In  some 
quarters,  his  name  was  synonymous  with  Dakota.  In 
a  great  assembly  once,  a  speaker  addressed  him  as 
'Yankton.'  No  one  for  many  years  could  so  readily 
secure  Eastern  capital  for  large  enterprises,  or  so  favor- 
ably negotiate  the  bonds  of  this  new  country." 

The  oldest  literary  societies  had  now  made  their  ap- 
pearance upon  the  scene  of  college  activity  —  one  for 
the  young  men,  known  as  the  Yankton  College  Literary 
Society,  and  the  other  —  the  Aristonian  —  for  young 
women.  Both  of  these  organizations  have  survived  to 
the  present  day,  retaining  their  original  names;  though 
the  former  has  become  one  of  the  two  societies  intended 
exclusively  for  young  men  of  the  Academy;  while  the 
Aristonian  has  developed  into  an  exclusively  College 
organization  for  young  women.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  the  friendly  rivalries  of  these,  and  the  kindred 
societies  that  soon  came  into  existence,  added  much  to 


36  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

the  pleasure,  and  considerable  to  the  profit,  of  college 
life. 

On  January  5,  1885,  the  Trustees  voted  that  the 
motto  of  the  College  should  be  "  Christ  for  the  World." 
The  sentiment  finds  expression  in  a  hymn  composed 
by  Rev.  Samuel  Wolcott,  D.  D.,  beginning  "  Christ  for 
the  world,  we  sing."  Previous  to  this  action,  this  hymn 
had  come  to  be  recognized  as  the  College  hymn,  and 
still  holds  that  place.  Furthermore,  Rev.  Charles  M. 
Sheldon,  who  was,  as  has  before  been  stated,  a  nephew 
of  Dr.  Ward,  at  his  uncle's  request,  composed  an  inscrip- 
tion for  the  College  bell  —  a  gift  from  Mr.  A.  C.  Dakin, 
of  Clinton,  Mass. —  in  which  he  introduces  the  same 
thought,  as  follows: 

"At  morn,  at  noon,  at  twilight  dim, 
My  voice  shall  sound 
The  world  around, 
'Christ  for  the  world, 
The  world  for  Him!'" 

As  an  indication  of  the  estimation  in  which  the 
College  was  held  at  this  time,  it  may  be  noted  that  Hon. 
W.  H.  H.  Beadle,  the  Territorial  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  spoke  of  its  work  in  his  annual  report 
as  follows:  "The  classes  of  Yankton  College  are  the 
most  advanced  of  any  in  the  Territory,  and  the  institu- 
tion, now  in  its  third  year,  has  established  a  high  repu- 
tation for  accuracy  of  scholarship  and  thoroughness  of 
instruction." 

During  the  following  college  year  (1885-6),  the 
School  continued  to  grow  and  prosper.  At  the  end 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     37 

of  the  year,  a  total  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
had  been  reached.  The  following  new  names  appear 
in  the  Faculty  list:  Alfred  G.  Langley,  M.  A.,  Instruct- 
or in  Psychology  and  History;  Caroline  M.  Hyde, 
B.  S.,  Instructor  in  English  Literature;  Jessie  R. 
Holmes,  Instructor  in  History;  Alice  G.  Sheldon, 
Teacher  of  Painting.  Mrs.  A.  M.  Dawson  served  as 
Matron.  Dr.  Riggs  resigned  the  Professorship  of 
Chemistry  before  entering  upon  its  duties,  to  accept 
an  appointment  to  the  same  position  in  Trinity  College, 
Hartford,  Connecticut.  Mr.  Langley  was  a  graduate 
of  Brown  University,  who  had  specialized  in  philosoph- 
ical work.  He  remained  with  the  College  for  only  a 
portion  of  the  year.  In  later  years,  he  published  a 
translation  of  Leibnitz's  Nouveaux  Essais. 

The  statement  in  the  catalogue  of  the  requirements 
for  admission  to  the  work  of  the  regular  Freshman 
class  indicates  the  high  standards  that  were  already 
being  set  up  and  maintained.  It  was  as  follows :  "For 
admission  to  the  Freshman  class,  besides  the  common 
English  branches,  preparation  in  the  following  studies 
is  required:  General  History;  Physical  Geography; 
Elements  of  Rhetoric;  Algebra  to  Quadratic  Equations; 
Plain  Geometry;  Latin  Grammar;  Caesar,  Three 
Books;  Cicero,  Five  Orations;  Virgil,  Six  Books; 
Latin  Prose;  Greek  Grammar;  Anabasis,  Three 
Books;  Selections  from  Greek  Historians;  Greek  Prose, 
Twenty  Sections." 

Another  significant  token  of  growth  was  the  appear- 
ance, in  September,  1885,  of  the  first  number  of  the 


38  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

student  paper,  entitled  then  and  ever  since  "The 
Yankton  Student."  It  has  always  been  the  proud 
boast  of  this  publication,  that  it  was  the  first  paper 
really  published  by  students  to  appear  in  Dakota. 
The  opening  announcement  reads  as  follows:  "This 
is  designed  to  be  a  college  newspaper.  It  will  try  to 
give  some  items  not  only  about  our  best  beloved  Yank- 
ton  College,  but  other  Dakota  schools.  We  will  try 
and  look  with  the  proper  feelings  of  respect  upon  older 
Eastern  colleges.  We  hope  to  live  and  grow.  A 
college  paper  should  embody  and  crystallize,  as  it  were, 
the  spirit,  mind,  and  time  of  the  college,  and  it  shall  be 
our  first  thought  and  highest  endeavor  to  make  The 
Yankton  Student  fulfil  this  prime  requirement."  The 
subscription  price  was  to  be  forty-five  cents  a  year. 
The  following  year,  it  was  increased  to  fifty  cents;  some 
years  afterward,  to  seventy-five  cents,  and  still  later,  to 
one  dollar  —  the  present  price.  The  first  editorial 
board  consisted  of  Edward  H. Pound,  Managing  Editor; 
Robert  S.  Cooley,  Mary  H.  Pound,  Frederick  B.  Riggs, 
and  Nellie  D.  Sharp,  Associate  Editors.  The  writer 
of  these  pages  thankfully  acknowledges  that  much  of 
his  material  has  been  derived  from  the  files  of  this 
student  publication. 

The  very  first  number  of  The  Student  contains  indi- 
cations of  an  awakening  interest  in  a  feature  of  college 
life  that,  since  those  days,  has  undergone  a  remarkable 
development,  not  only  in  Yankton  College,  but  also 
in  American  colleges  in  general.  The  following  quota- 
tion will  explain:  "In  the  matter  of  athletics,  our 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD    39 

College  is  backward;  even  Gurney's  "boss  exercise" 
is  gone.  We  have  a  good  strong  lot  of  boys,  and  they 
will  not  die  right  away,  but  none  the  less,  some  hearty, 
vigorous  exercise  would  be  good  for  all.  The  butcher 
and  the  baker  would  approve,  although  it  might  be  bad 
for  the  College  Boarding  Hall.  Let  us  have  an  organi- 
zation among  the  baseball  players  and  some  arrange- 
ments for  practice.  Something,  too,  could  surely  be 
done  with  football.  We  are  waiting  for  someone  to  go 
ahead  and  take  the  lead.  Come  on,  and  make  your- 
selves famous  as  the  first  football  club  in  Yankton 
College!" 

A  little  later,  an  organization  known  as  the  Athlon 
Club,  whose  function  it  should  be  to  develop  and  foster 
athletic  interests,  was  started.  An  early  result  of  this 
movement  was  the  introduction  of  military  drill  among 
the  young  men,  a  company  being  organized  with  the 
following  officers:  S.  G.  Gale,  Captain;  P.  Pierce, 
First  Lieutenant;  B.  Woolley,  Second  Lieutenant; 
H.  W.  Jamison,  D.  C.  Laird,  and  F.  B.  Riggs,  Ser- 
geants. Regular  drill  was  to  be  held  every  Friday  at 
four  p.  M.  The  military  enthusiasm  would  seem  even 
to  have  affected  the  young  women,  inasmuch  as  they 
too  began  to  drill.  In  spite,  however,  of  this  good 
beginning,  Athletics  failed  to  flourish.  Military  zeal, 
apparently,  soon  waned;  and  the  forcible  editorial 
exhortations  to  greater  athletic  activity,  that  appear  in 
the  columns  of  The  Student,  make  it  manifest  that  the 
day  of  Athletics  was  not  yet.  In  The  Student  for 
October,  1886,  appears  the  following  editorial  para- 


40  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

graph:  "The  Athlon  Club,  with  all  its  Athletics  and 
military  drill,  has  apparently  gone  to  sleep.  The  sub- 
ject ought  to  have  a  rest.  For  the  importance  of 
Athletics  to  brain-workers  has  ever  been  a  much  dis- 
cussed subject,  with  which  all  of  us  are  familiar.  Yet 
this  retrograde  course  is  to  be  deplored.  The  Athlon 
Club  did  not  prove  worthless  during  the  past  year,  and 
had  interest  in  that  direction  continued,  the  Club  would 
have  grown  in  value.  It  may  be  that  encouragements 
were  small;  and  thus  the  affair  has  taken  its  natural 
course.  However,  it  is  hoped  that  this  inactivity  will 
be  short-lived,  and  that  soon  Athletics  will  flourish 
more  than  ever." 

During  this  year,  the  name  of  one  who  was  to  be,  for 
many  years,  a  faithful  and  enthusiastic  friend  of  the 
College  first  appears  in  its  records.  I  refer  to  Rev. 
D.  B.  Nichols,  D.  D.,  commonly  known  as  "Father 
Nichols."  He  was  a  Congregational  clergyman,  a 
member  of  the  first  graduating  class  of  Oberlin  College, 
who,  after  a  widely  varied  career,  had  become  the 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  BonHomme. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Corporate  Board,  held  June  4, 
1886,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board,  and  also 
a  Trustee.  Shortly  after,  he  accepted  the  position  of 
Field  Agent  for  the  College,  removing  to  Yankton. 
The  duties  of  this  position  he  discharged  for  a  year. 
In  1887,  he  was  appointed  Librarian  and  Curator  of 
Cabinets  by  the  Trustees.  In  the  same  year,  at  an  age 
when  most  men  regard  their  life-work  as  completed, 
he  established  a  church  a  few  miles  east  of  Yankton, 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD    41 

about  which  soon  grew  up  a  thriving  village,  which 
received  its  name  —  Mission  Hill  —  from  Father 
Nichols.  To  this  church  he  faithfully  ministered  for 
nearly  twenty  years,  as  long  as  his  strength  permitted. 
Thereupon,  he  removed  again  to  Yankton,  where  he 
resided  for  a  brief  period,  finally  removing  to  Oregon, 
to  live  with  a  daughter.  There,  in  December,  1906, 
he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety  years  and  two  months. 
Father  Nichols  was  a  man  of  abundant  faith  and 
unquenchable  optimism,  retaining  a  childlike  freshness 
of  interest  in  life  up  to  the  very  last.  During  the  years 
he  spent  at  Mission  Hill,  it  was  his  custom  to  address, 
at  least  once  a  year,  the  students  of  the  College,  assem- 
bled for  chapel  services.  These  addresses,  full  as  they 
were  of  interesting  reminiscences  of  his  early  life, 
faithfully  retained  by  a  memory  of  extraordinary 
tenacity,  were  always  greatly  enjoyed  by  his  student 
audiences. 

In  the  November  issue  of  The  Student,  appears  the 
following  interesting  statement:  "Our  library  still 
grows.  President  Porter  and  Professor  Harris,  of 
Yale,  have  sent  us  copies  of  their  works.  Professor 
Tucker,  of  Andover,  has  given  us  three  hundred 
volumes.  Mr.  John  T.  Pierce,  of  Nebraska,  has  given 
some  elegantly  bound  editions  of  the  classics." 

The  increased  number  of  students  led  to  the  organi- 
zation of  a  new  literary  society  for  young  men  —  the 
Philomathean  —  which  still  exists  as  the  second  society 
for  young  men  of  the  Academy.  The  same  cause  made 
felt  the  pressing  need  for  more  room,  especially  to 


42  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

accommodate  the  boarding  hall,  which  was  now 
located  in  inadequate  quarters  in  the  basement  of  the 
College  building,  and  also  to  furnish  a  home  for  young 
women  from  out  of  town.  These  were  in  part  living  in 
private  houses,  of  which  there  was  only  a  very  small 
number  of  sufficiently  convenient  location  for  the  pur- 
pose; the  remainder  were  lodged  in  the  third  story  of 
the  College  building.  In  order  to  meet  this  need,  the 
Trustees  decided  to  make  an  attempt  to  construct  a 
ladies'  dormitory,  capable  of  accommodating  seventy- 
five  young  women,  and  containing  a  kitchen,  dining- 
room,  and  laundry.  The  President  was  directed  to 
secure  plans  for  such  a  building.  Nevertheless,  this 
design  was  not  destined  to  be  realized  for  some  years, 
great  though  the  need  was. 

For  the  year  1886-7,  tne  following  new  members  of 
the  Faculty  were  appointed:  A.  F.  Bartlett,  Professor 
of  Physics  and  Mathematics;  General  W.  H.  H. 
Beadle,  Lecturer  in  History  and  Civil  Government; 
Edward  M.  Young,  Director  of  the  Musical  Depart- 
ment, and  Mrs.  E.  M.  Young,  Assistant  in  Music. 
Professor  Bartlett,  a  graduate  of  Oberlin,  held  the 
position  of  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Yankton,  and 
during  that  year,  he  combined  the  duties  of  that  position 
with  what  teaching  he  did  in  the  College.  General 
Beadle,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  had 
recently  served  as  Territorial  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction.  Throughout  the  history  of  the  College, 
he  has  been  one  of  its  most  faithful  friends.  During  the 
three  years  that  Professor  and  Mrs.  Young  taught  in 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     43 

the  institution,  the  work  in  Music  was  greatly  advanced 
and  strengthened. 

During  this  year,  for  the  first  time,  a  lecture  course 
was  provided;  and  certainly  a  good  start  was  made, 
inasmuch  as  the  course  included  lectures  by  Richard 
Proctor,  the  English  astronomer  and  writer;  by  Lew 
Wallace,  George  R.  Wendling,  and  Joseph  Cook. 
Another  feature  of  college  life  that  holds  a  conspicuous 
place  at  the  present  time,  was  inaugurated  that  year; 
for,  on  February  7, 1887,  the  first  inter-collegiate  debate 
occurred  at  Vermillion,  between  two  representatives  of 
the  Yankton  College  Literary  Society,  and  of  one  of  the 
literary  societies  of  the  State  University.  The  question 
debated  was  the  worth  of  the  jury  system.  Robert  S. 
Cooley  and  James  F.  Hall  were  the  Yankton  debaters. 
In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  three  judges  were  all  citizens 
of  Vermillion,  the  outcome  —  two  to  one  in  favor  of  the 
Vermillion  debaters  —  was,  perhaps,  as  favorable  as 
could  be  expected. 

Though  the  year  as  a  whole  shows  indications  of 
progress,  nevertheless,  it  was  marked  by  some  of  the 
most  trying  and  discouraging  experiences  in  the  entire 
history  of  the  institution.  Various  tokens  of  financial 
stress  and  strain  appear.  The  growth  of  the  institu- 
tion, calling  as  it  did  for  additions  to  the  teaching  force 
and  to  equipment,  made  still  heavier  the  burden  laid 
upon  the  strong  and  patient  shoulders  of  the  President — 
the  wearisome  task  of  filling  up  the  ever-yawning  gap 
between  income  and  expenditure  by  soliciting  contribu- 
tions from  generous  Eastern  friends.  Accordingly, 


44  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

the  record  shows  that  on  September  29, 1886,  the  Trust- 
ees voted  to  make  an  appeal  to  the  citizens  of  Yankton 
for  financial  aid  to  the  College,  especially  to  pay  off 
debts.  Again,  on  December  21,  it  was  decided  to 
borrow  $1500.00  from  the  First  National  Bank,  in 
order  to  pay  teachers'  salaries  and  other  bills.  But  a 
greater  misfortune  than  financial  difficulty  befell  the 
struggling  institution  about  the  middle  of  the  year, 
through  the  alienation  of  a  considerable  number  of  its 
strongest  friends  and  supporters.  This  was  due  to  a 
mistaken  impression  that  Dr.  Ward  aimed  to  make 
use  of  the  College  as  an  instrument  for  the  propagation 
of  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Theology,  and  especially 
of  the  so-called  Andover  Hypothesis  of  "  Future  Pro- 
bation." Four  of  the  nine  Trustees  resigned,  including 
two  of  the  most  generous  local  givers.  The  full  weight 
of  such  a  misfortune  can  be  appreciated  only  by  one 
who  realizes  the  extreme  difficulty  of  finding,  among 
the  hurried  business  and  professional  men  in  a  new  and 
rapidly  developing  country,  those  who  are  willing  to 
give  time  and  thought  and  money  to  the  upbuilding  of 
an  institution  apparently  so  remote  from  practical 
interests  as  is  a  college.  It  is  exceedingly  pleasant  to 
record  that  these  unfortunate  disagreements  were  grad- 
ually softened,  primarily,  by  the  not  distant  death  of 
Dr.  Ward,  and  then,  by  the  mellowing  influence  of  time. 
Little  by  little,  the  old  habits  of  generous  and  helpful 
co-operation  were  resumed;  and  presently,  no  traces 
of  division  were  to  be  seen.  A  number  of  the  members 
of  the  Faculty  resigned,  including  E.  C.  Norton,  the 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD    45 

Professor  of  Greek,  whose  resignation  was  accepted 
with  deep  regret,  as  he  was  universally  regarded  as  a 
thoroughly  competent  and  effective  teacher,  and  a 
man  of  high  Christian  character.  For  many  years, 
Professor  Norton  has  been  connected  with  the  faculty 
of  Pomona  College,  in  California. 

The  May  number  of  The  Student  conveys  the  inform- 
ation that  several  hundred  trees  were  set  out  that 
spring  on  the  Campus,  and  indulges  in  some  pessimistic 
pleasantries  regarding  the  future  of  those  diminutive 
specimens  of  vegetation,  and  the  probable  remoteness 
of  the  period  when  their  utility  as  producers  of  shade 
should  become  perceptible.  It  is  pleasant  to  reflect 
that  this  beginning  of  the  systematic  cultivation  and 
adornment  of  the  College  grounds  has  entirely  failed  to 
justify  such  forebodings;  and  that  those  very  trees  play 
their  part  in  constituting  a  scene  that  has  already  be- 
come one  of  great  beauty  and  charm. 

Upon  Dr.  Ward's  resignation  of  the  pastorate  of  the 
Yankton  church,  Rev.  C.  F.  Clapp  had  been  chosen  as 
his  successor.  Owing  to  Mr.  Clapp's  resignation,  a 
new  pastor  was  secured  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Dan 
F.  Bradley,  who  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  position 
on  June  i,  1887.  Mr.  Bradley  was  then  a  young  man, 
a  graduate  of  Oberlin  College  and  Seminary,  and  pos- 
sessed of  a  boundless  store  of  enthusiasm  and  energy. 
From  the  first,  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  College,  and  became  a  strong  factor  in  maintaining 
and  promoting  its  development,  during  the  years  of  his 
ministry  in  Yankton. 


46  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

In  addition  to  its  other  notable  features,  this  year 
was  made  forever  memorable  in  the  annals  of  the  Col- 
lege by  the  fact  that  it  dates  the  graduation  of  its  first 
class  —  a  class  consisting  of  but  one  member  —  Ed- 
ward Hinman  Pound.  Mr.  Pound  became  a  student 
of  the  College  during  the  first  year  of  its  work,  entering 
the  Freshman  class  in  the  fall  of  the  following  year  — 
1883.  The  work  of  the  Junior  year  he  took  at  Brown 
University,  but  loyally  returned  to  graduate  from  the 
youthful  institution  that  had  given  him  the  greater  part 
of  his  training. 

The  exercises  of  this  noteworthy  Commencement 
week  were  opened  on  Sunday  evening,  June  5,  with  the 
baccalaureate  sermon  by  President  Ward,  his  text  — 
a  characteristic  one  —  being  Matthew  5:48:  "Be  ye 
therefore  perfect  even  as  your  Father  who  is  in  Heaven 
is  perfect."  On  Monday  evening,  came  the  annual 
concert  of  the  Department  of  Music.  The  following 
students  of  the  department  took  part:  Alathea  Dis- 
brow,  Frank  C.  Smith,  Maurice  Blatt,  Bessie  Russell, 
Alice  Kingsbury,  Kate  Carney,  Jessie  Poore,  Lillian 
Fisher,  Harold  Roberts,  Nellie  Miner,  Minnie  Jencks, 
Sarah  Knudson,  Sophia  E.  Schenck,  Nettie  Van  Os- 
trand,  Alice  Poulton.  On  Tuesday  evening,  came  the 
Declamation  Contest  for  the  Churchill  Prizes.  The 
contestants  were  the  following  young  men:  Henry 
Rufus  Miner,  Yankton;  George  Williston  Nash,  Can- 
ton; Henry  Winfield  Jamison,  Dover;  Edward  Dodge 
Gray,  Lake  Henry;  Elmer  Amos  Chase,  Sturgis; 
Albert  Barnes,  Yankton;  Charles  Horace  Seccombe, 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD    47 

Springfield;  George  Durand  Wilder,  Huron.  The 
first  prize  was  won  by  H.  W.  Jamison;  the  second,  by 
E.  A.  Chase;  the  third,  by  G.  W.  Nash.  J.  F.  Hall 
received  the  Jeffris  Prize  for  writing  the  best  essay. 

On  Wednesday  afternoon,  the  regular  Commence- 
ment exercises  were  held  in  the  Congregational  Church. 
Mr.  Pound  delivered  an  oration,  of  which  the  subject 
was  "Is  the  Constitution  final?"  The  following  sen- 
tences show  the  point  of  view,  and  are  not  without  per- 
tinence to  present-day  problems,  in  national  politics: 
"  Keeping  fast  hold  of  the  truth  to  which  our  discussion 
has  brought  us,  there  is  but  one  attitude  we  can  assume 
toward  the  Constitution.  We  are  not  its  servants,  but 
it  is  ours.  So  long  as  it  serves  us,  well  and  good;  but 
whenever  it  comes  to  hinder  rather  than  to  help  in  the 
problems  of  government,  then,  to  change  it,  or  if  that 
cannot  be  done,  to  lay  it  aside  for  another,  is  not  a 
sacrilege,  but  a  sacred  duty."  President  Ward,  in 
addressing  Mr.  Pound  as  the  graduating  class,  spoke 
of  him  very  forcibly,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  truly,  as 
"the  first  man  in  a  thousand  years." 

The  Commencement  address  was  delivered  by  Rev. 
C.  F.  P.  Bancroft,  Principal  of  Phillips  Academy,  An- 
dover,  Massachusetts,  the  famous  preparatory  school, 
at  which  Dr.  Ward  had  fitted  himself  for  college.  More- 
over, Dr.  Bancroft  was  his  fellow-student  at  Andover 
Seminary.  The  subject  of  his  interesting  address  was 
"What  a  College  Is;  What  a  College  Can  Do;  What  a 
College  Needs."  Such  excellent  satisfaction  did  it 
give  that,  by  request  of  the  Trustees,  it  was  published 


48  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

in  pamphlet  form.      I  cannot  forbear  making  a  some 
what  lengthy  quotation: 

"  To-day  Yankton  College  begins.  I  do  not  overlook 
the  years  of  work  and  waiting  which  have  gone  before, 
the  courage,  the  venture,  the  self-denial,  the  prayers, 
that  have  gone  into  it,  the  good  it  has  been  doing,  the 
devoted  men  and  women  who  have  rallied  about  it,  the 
young  men  and  women  who  have  resorted  to  it,  and 
who  have  been  at  once  its  justification  and  its  appeal. 
But  to-day,  in  academic  phrase,  a  phrase  sanctioned  by 
the  almost  universal  usage  of  centuries,  it  celebrates  its 
first  Commencement,  it  takes  to  itself  its  proper  func- 
tions, it  avails  itself  of  its  charter  privileges,  it  claims 
its  right  to  stand  with  the  colleges  of  the  land,  and  there 
it  takes  its  stand  with  Harvard,  and  Yale,  and  Prince- 
ton, and  Dartmouth,  and  Brown  —  side  by  side  with 
the  oldest,  the  richest,  the  most  famous,  the  best.  It  is 
only  small  things  which  look  largest  close  at  hand.  To 
appreciate  the  majesty  of  St.  Peter's  one  must  go  far 
out  on  the  Campagna  or  climb  some  distant  hill.  So 
this  college  looks  larger  from  the  banks  of  the  Charles 
ind  the  Connecticut  than  from  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
souri. A  college  is  in  little  danger  of  thinking  more 
highly  of  itself  than  it  ought  to  think.  No,  this  college 
holds  a  true  Commencement  this  day;  it  has  not  only 
its  charter,  its  organization,  its  faculty,  its  students, 
its  property,  its  history;  it  has  its  body  of  alumni, 
too.  It  has  a  right  to  stand  in  the  goodly  fellowship  of 
American  colleges  and  universities.  Is  it  young?  So 
were  they.  Is  it  poor  ?  It  is  affluently  rich  compared 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     49 

with  their  grinding  early  poverty.  Is  its  faculty  small 
and  the  concourse  of  students  few  ?  It  has  more  teach- 
ers and  pupils  than  any  of  our  great  colleges  began  with, 
a  century  or  two  ago.  Hear  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 
in  a  sportive  strain  sing  of  the  infant  Harvard,  now  the 
thronged,  the  famous,  the  wealthy  university : 

'And  who  were  on  the  catalogue 
When  college  was  begun  ? 
Two  nephews  of  the  President, 
And  the  Professor's  son . 
Lord,  how  the  Seniors  knocked  about 
The  Freshman  class  of  one!'  " 

Though  the  life  of  Edward  H.  Pound  was  destined 
to  be  brief,  nevertheless,  the  College  has  reason  to  be 
proud  of  her  first  alumnus,  and  to  be  well  pleased  that 
it  was  her  fortune  to  have  him  as  the  first  in  the  line  of  a 
thousand  years.  After  taking  his  theological  training 
at  Andover,  Mr.  Pound  became  pastor  of  a  church  in 
Nebraska,  where  he  did  faithful,  efficient  work,  until 
his  health  compelled  him  to  remove  to  California,  where, 
for  some  time,  he  continued  in  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try; but,  finally,  on  June  8,  1893,  he  died  of  consump- 
tion, leaving  behind  the  memory  of  a  true  and  noble 
life. 

The  college  year  1887-8  was  marked  by  a  number  of 
changes  in  the  Faculty.  Professor  A.  F.  Bartlett  re- 
signed his  position  in  the  City  schools,  in  order  to  give 
his  full  time  and  strength  to  his  work  in  the  College, 
holding  the  position  of  Professor  of  Physics  and  Mathe- 
matics, and  Principal  of  the  Preparatory  and  Normal 


50  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Departments.  The  Professorship  of  Greek,  resigned 
by  Professor  E.  C.  Norton,  was  filled  by  the  election  of 
W.  J.  McMurtry,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Olivet  College 
and  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  who  had  just  com- 
pleted a  year  of  study  in  the  American  School  at  Athens, 
Greece.  Professor  McMurtry,  for  a  time,  acted  as  In- 
structor in  Philosophy,  in  addition  to  the  work  in  Greek. 
He  is  still  connected  with  the  institution,  being  Dean  of 
the  Faculty  and  Professor  of  Greek  and  Philosophy. 
H.  H.  Swain,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Beloit  College,  was 
appointed  Instructor  in  History  and  English  Literature, 
receiving  the  Professorship  of  the  same  subjects  in  the 
following  year.  Professor  Swain  remained  with  the 
College  a  considerable  number  of  years,  his  Professor- 
ship later  becoming  that  of  History  and  Political  Econ- 
omy. He  played  a  large  and  important  part  in  the 
life  and  development  of  the  institution,  especially  after 
the  death  of  President  Ward.  Mrs.  Frances  D.  Wilder, 
a  graduate  of  Oberlin,  was  given  the  position  of  Pre- 
ceptress and  Instructor  in  German.  Miss  Louise  Han- 
num,  a  graduate  of  Wellesley,  became  Assistant  in  the 
Normal  Department,  and  Instructor  in  French.  The 
Faculty  was  now  larger  and  stronger  than  ever  before. 

During  this  year,  the  following  innovations  were 
introduced  regarding  tuitions  and  scholarships.  By 
a  change  in  the  Territorial  law,  a  number  of  institu- 
tions, of  which  Yankton  College  was  one,  were  author- 
ized to  give  a  Normal  Course  to  students,  who  should 
number  not  less  than  ten  nor  more  than  twenty-five, 
and  whose  tuition  should  be  paid  by  the  Territory. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD    51 

This  provision  remained  in  force  until  the  advent  of 
statehood.  Its  effect  was,  for  the  time  being,  to  add 
somewhat  to  the  dignity  and  standing  of  the  Normal 
work.  Moreover,  the  College  offered  free  tuition, 
throughout  the  regular  college  course,  to  one  graduate 
of  high  scholarship  and  character  from  any  high  school 
in  Dakota  or  Nebraska.  The  same  privilege  was  ex- 
tended to  one  additional  student  from  each  county  in 
Dakota  and  Nebraska.  Of  course,  the  object  of  this 
system  of  scholarships  was  to  increase  the  number  of 
students  taking  the  regular  college  courses;  and, 
doubtless,  it  did  considerable  to  promote  this  end. 
However,  after  the  system  had  been  in'  vogue  for  some 
years,  it  became  evident  to  the  Trustees  that  the  insti- 
tion  could  not  afford  to  be  so  generous.  Accordingly, 
in  a  short  time,  the  county  scholarships  were  restricted 
to  one  year's  free  tuition,  though  it  might  be  secured 
in  either  the  Preparatory  Department  or  the  College. 
Still  later,  the  county  scholarships  were  entirely  abol- 
ished; and  the  high  school  scholarships  were  limited 
to  one  year. 

In  November  of  this  year,  a  second  Congregational 
college,  located  at  Redfield,  in  the  northern  part  of 
what  later  became  South  Dakota,  was  opened  for  work, 
with  nine  students  in  attendance  at  the  beginning. 
The  original  intention  had  been  that  the  Redfield 
institution  should  be  an  academy,  serving  as  a  prepara- 
tory school  for  Yankton.  But  later,  the  more  ambi- 
tious plan  of  establishing  a  college  prevailed  —  an  out- 
come that  was  viewed  with  strong  disfavor  by  those  who 


52  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

were  most  interested  in  Yankton's  growth  and  devel- 
opment. They  felt  that  the  establishment  of  two  col- 
leges by  the  same  denomination,  in  a  sparsely  settled, 
undeveloped  commonwealth,  could  only  tend  to  the 
enfeeblement  of  both,  and  to  the  discouragement  of 
that  outside  support  and  aid  upon  which  each  would, 
necessarily,  be  largely  dependent.  The  plea  put  for- 
ward by  the  supporters  of  the  new  enterprise  at  Red- 
field  was  the  remoteness  of  Yankton  from  the  more 
northern  portions  of  the  Territory  (and  State),  and  the 
consequent  weakening  of  the  aspirations  of  young 
people  living  there  toward  a  higher  education. 

Another  event  occurred,  during  this  year,  that  is  an 
index  at  the  same  time  of  development  within  the  va- 
rious institutions  of  higher  learning  in  the  Territory, 
and  also  of  a  growing  tendency  toward  mutual  rela- 
tionship. At  a  meeting  held  at  Brookings,  on  Novem- 
ber 6,  of  representatives  of  Sioux  Falls  University, 
Dakota  Agricultural  College,  the  University  of  Dakota, 
at  Vermillion,  Dakota  University,  at  Mitchell,  and 
Yankton  College,  the  Dakota  Collegiate  Oratorical 
Association  was  organized,  and  a  constitution  adopted. 
Mr.  H.  W.  Jamison  represented  Yankton,  and  served 
as  Secretary  of  the  meeting.  According  to  the  con- 
stitution, the  purpose  of  the  organization  was  "to 
develop  and  maintain  a  high  standard  of  oratorical  ex- 
cellence in  the  colleges  composing  this  association,  by 
means  of  an  annual  contest  as  hereinafter  provided." 
The  first  officers  elected  were:  A.  Lawrence  (Agricul- 
tural College),  President;  Miss  E.  F.  Rodgers  (Dakota 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     53 

University),  Vice  President;  C.  E.  Weed  (University  of 
Dakota),  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  It  was  decided 
that  the  first  annual  contest  should  be  held  at  Sioux 
Falls,  in  the  following  May.  This  association  later 
became  transformed  into  the  South  Dakota  Inter-col- 
legiate Oratorical  Association;  and  its  annual  contests, 
together  with  those  of  the  Inter-collegiate  Athletic 
Association,  formed  later,  have  ever  since  constituted 
one  of  the  great  events  of  the  college  year.  In  order 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  Inter-collegiate  Asso- 
ciation, a  local  association,  known  as  the  Yankton 
College  Oratorical  Association,  was  formed,  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  G.  D.  Wilder,  President;  Alice  Kings- 
bury,  Vice  President;  E.  A.  Chase,  Secretary;  C.  C. 
Gross,  Treasurer.  In  the  local  contest,  held  April  20, 
the  following  students  participated:  H.  W.  Jamison, 
A.  W.  Owen,  G.  D.  Wilder,  and  E.  A.  Chase.  Mr. 
Wilder  was  given  first  place,  and,  consequently,  repre- 
sented the  College  in  the  first  Inter-collegiate  Contest, 
at  Sioux  Falls,  the  outcome  of  which  was,  from  the 
Yankton  point  of  view,  a  sad  disappointment.  The 
first  place  was  won  by  Sioux  Falls  University. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  need  most  press- 
ingly  felt,  at  this  period  in  the  history  of  the  College, 
was  a  building  that  should  serve  as  a  dormitory  for  the 
young  women,  and  should  also  furnish  facilities  for 
carrying  on  the  boarding  department  of  the  institu- 
tion, including  kitchen  and  dining  hall.  On  more  than 
one  occasion,  the  Trustees  had  expressed  their  sense 
of  this  need  by  passing  resolutions  in  favor  of  taking 


54  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

active  steps  to  supply  it,  by  the  construction  of  a  suitable 
building.  However,  the  financial  condition  confront- 
ing them  made  the  carrying  out  of  their  resolutions  a 
matter  of  extreme  difficulty.  But  it  was  felt  that  some- 
thing must  be  done,  if  the  institution  was  to  continue 
to  grow  and  prosper.  Accordingly,  on  April  23,  the 
Board  voted  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  construction 
of  a  brick  building,  the  cost  of  which  should  not  exceed 
ten  thousand  dollars.  A  building  committee  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  J.  C.  McVay,  Rev.  H.  D. 
Wiard,  J.  M.  Fogerty,  H.  H.  Smith,  and  President 
Ward  ex  officio.  Nevertheless,  it  is  entirely  probable, 
yes,  practically  certain,  that  this  resolution  would  have 
suffered  the  fate  of  its  predecessors,  had  not  most  effi- 
cient allies  been  found  in  the  ladies  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  under  the  efficient  leadership  of  Mrs. 
J.  C.  McVay  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  McVay.  It  was  decided 
to  hold  a  bazaar  in  Turner  Hall,  in  order  to  secure 
means  for  starting  the  building.  So  vigorously  did  the 
ladies  prosecute  this  scheme,  by  soliciting  contribu- 
tions from  friends  far  and  near,  that  before  the  bazaar 
itself  was  opened  to  the  public,  more  than  twelve  hun- 
dred dollars  in  cash  had  been  received.  The  total  pro- 
ceeds of  the  enterprise  were  about  five  thousand 
dollars.  Another  means  devised  for  adding  to  the 
building  fund  was  the  holding  of  a  mock  Republican 
National  Convention.  Professor  Swain  was  chosen  as 
leader  of  the  plan,  acting  in  the  capacity  of  Chairman 
of  the  National  Central  Committee.  The  convention 
was  held  in  Turner  Hall,  on  the  evenings  of  May  25 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARD    55 

and  26.  A  large  number  of  prominent  citizens  were 
enlisted  in  the  undertaking;  and,  owing  to  their  assist- 
ance, the  affair  was  made  really  significant,  from  an 
educational  standpoint.  Turner  Hall  was  crowded 
both  evenings;  and  much  interest  and  enthusiasm 
were  manifested.  There  were  the  usual  badges  and 
banners;  and  inspiring  music  was  contributed  by  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  Band.  The  nominating  speeches 
were  eloquent  and  able;  and  there  were  earnest  dis- 
cussions of  the  political  questions  that  were  then 
most  debated,  for  example,  Civil  Service  Reform,  Pro- 
hibition, Woman's  Suffrage,  the  Tariff,  and  other  sub- 
jects. The  final  result  was  to  give  the  nomination  for 
President  to  Walter  Q.  Gresham;  for  Vice  President, 
to  Chauncey  M.  Depew  —  an  outcome  which,  in  its 
latter  half,  gives  one  a  curious  feeling  of  surprise. 

The  result  of  the  efforts  put  forth  by  the  ladies  was 
so  substantial  that  the  Trustees  felt  justified  in  going 
ahead  with  their  building  plan;  and,  accordingly,  the 
ceremony  of  "breaking  ground"  was  held  on  May  21, 
the  Trustees,  Faculty,  students,  and  friends  of  the  insti- 
tution joining  in  removing  the  first  spadefuls  of  earth. 
The  account  of  the  occasion  in  The  Student  says:  "Lit- 
tle Margaret  Ward  and  Caroline  Shaw  represented  the 
students  of  the  twentieth  century  in  this  work.  Father 
Nichols  preserved  for  the  museum  the  first  spadeful  of 
earth,  which 'was  taken  out  by  the  President."  The 
work  of  construction  was  actively  begun  on  June  2. 

Another  of  the  encouraging  features  of  this  year  was 
the  large  increase  in  the  size  of  the  library.  From 


56  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

something  over  fifteen  hundred  volumes,  the  number 
reached  the  respectable  figure  of  over  three  thousand, 
by  the  end  of  the  year. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Corporation,  held  June  6,  it 
was  decided  to  increase  materially  the  membership  of 
this  body,  in  order,  thereby,  to  foster  a  wider  interest 
in  the  College,  on  the  part  both  of  the  Congrega- 
tional churches  and  of  individuals.  Accordingly,  the 
Corporation  elected  nineteen  new  members,  in  addition 
to  the  eleven  already  existent,  and  also  voted  to  request 
the  General  Association  of  Congregational  Churches 
to  nominate  seven  additional  members,  to  represent  the 
local  associations.  Of  the  new  members  selected,  a 
few  were  residents  of  Yankton ;  but  the  great  majority 
lived  in  various  towns  throughout  the  southern  portion 
of  the  Territory.  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  had  two  represent- 
atives. Among  the  new  members  were  Rev.  D.  F. 
Bradley,  pastor  of  the  Yankton  Congregational  church, 
who  was  soon  to  take  a  prominent  place  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  affairs  of  the  College;  Robert  J.  Gam- 
ble, of  Yankton,  who  soon  became  a  Trustee;  and  Hon. 
Bartlett  Tripp,  of  Yankton,  for  many  years  a  Trustee, 
a  position  that  he  still  occupies.  Among  them,  too, 
was  the  late  James  H.  Kyle,  at  that  time  a  Congrega- 
tional minister,  located  at  Ipswich,  later  Financial 
Agent  of  the  College,  and  destined,  like  Mr.  Gamble, 
to  attain  the  high  position  of  United  States  senator. 

The  Commencement  exercises  of  the  year  occurred 
on  Wednesday,  June  6.  The  class  —  the  second  to 
graduate  —  consisted  of  three  young  men  —  Benjamin 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT  WARD     57 

Wade  Burleigh,  of  Yankton;  Frederick  Bartlett  Riggs, 
of  Santee  Agency,  Nebraska,  and  Gustav  Gottlieb 
Wenzlaff,  of  Yankton.  The  subject  of  Mr.  Burleigh's 
oration  was  "The  Sphere  of  the  Statesman;"  of  Mr. 
Riggs',  "The  New  Africa ;"  of  Mr.  Wenzlaff's,  "Philos- 
ophy in  the  Practical."  The  Commencement  address 
was  delivered  by  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Duryea,  D.  D.,  pastor 
of  the  Central  Church,  Boston,  Massachusetts.  His 
subject  was  "The  True  Aim  of  a  Christian  College." 
This  year,  for  the  first  time,  the  Department  of  Music 
was  represented  by  graduates,  three  young  women 
having  completed  the  course  in  Piano,  and  being 
awarded  diplomas,  namely:  Annette  V.  Bruce,  Minnie 
Jencks,  and  Jennie  D.  Ketchum.  Each  of  these  had  a 
musical  part  on  the  Commencement  program. 

This  year  witnessed  the  launching  of  a  new  enter- 
prise, in  close  connection  with  the  College,  namely: 
a  Summer  Theological  Institute,  the  purpose  of  which 
was  to  give  special  opportunities  for  instruction  in 
theological,  religious,  and  ethical  subjects  to  those,  es- 
pecially ministers,  who  desired  to  avail  themselves  of 
such  advantages.  The  sessions  of  the  Institute  opened 
shortly  after  Commencement,  and  continued  for  about 
two  weeks.  The  instruction  was  given  in  the  form  of 
lectures  by  prominent  Eastern  scholars  and  clergymen. 
During  its  three  years  of  existence,  the  Institute  num- 
bered among  its  lecturers  such  well  known  Congrega- 
tional scholars  and  leaders  of  that  period  as  Dr.  J.  T. 
Duryea  and  Dr.  A.  H.  Quint,  of  Boston;  President 
Fairchild,  Professor  G.  F.  'Wright,  and  Dr.  James 


58  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Brand,  of  Oberlin;  Professor  Blaisdell,  of  Beloit;  Dr. 
Meredith,  of  Brooklyn,  and  others.  This  institute  was 
the  forerunner  of  a  similar  one  that  has  held  its  sessions 
at  the  College  during  the  past  two  summers. 

The  year  1888-9  opened  with  but  slight  changes  in  the 
Faculty,  the  teaching  force  of  the  Department  of  Music 
being  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  Mr.  Franklin 
L.  Stead,  as  Teacher  of  Piano  and  Organ.  Mr.  Stead 
was  afterwards  appointed  Professor  of  Music  and 
Director  of  the  Musical  Department  —  a  position  which 
he  held  for  a  considerable  time,  during  which  he  did 
much  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  Department. 

Work  on  Ladies'  Hall  continued  through  the  sum- 
mer; and  a  local  in  The  Student  for  October  conveys 
the  information  that  the  walls  were  rising  rapidly,  the 
foundation  and  interior  walls  of  the  basement  having 
been  completed.  Unfortunately,  circumstances  so 
shaped  themselves  that  a  considerable  time  was  des- 
tined to  elapse  before  this  greatly  needed  addition  to 
the  equipment  of  the  institution  became  available. 
When  winter  came  on,  work  was  stopped,  the  building 
being  enclosed  and  the  floor  of  the  second  story  serving 
as  a  roof.  Since  lack  of  funds  prevented  the  renewal 
of  the  work,  when  spring  came,  the  structure  remained 
for  some  time  in  this  condition.  On  May  6,  consider- 
able damage  was  done  by  a  violent  storm  of  wind  and 
rain,  after  which  work  was  resumed;  .but  the  building 
was  not  ready  for  use  at  the  opening  of  the  following 
college  year;  nor  was  it  occupied  until  the  commence- 
ment of  the  winter  term. 


ADMINISTRATION   OF  PRESIDENT  WARD     59 

In  the  October  issue  of  The  Student,  appears  a  com- 
munication from  Mr.  Bradley,  interesting  as  conveying 
the  impressions  of  the  College  received  at  that  time  by 
one  who  had  good  opportunity  for  observation,  and  yet 
occupied  the  position,  largely,  of  an  outsider.  Among 
other  things  he  says : 

"  Yankton  College  is  an  actual,  not  a  nominal  college. 
Its  ten  teachers  are  all  present,  and  at  work  in  the  flesh, 
and  not  merely  in  the  catalogue.  Its  one  hundred  and 
nine  students  are  all  present,  and  can  stand  up  and  be 
counted;  they  are  not  dim  reminiscences  or  future 
possibilities.  And  the  work  done  is  real  college  and 
academic  work.  The  students  are  not  here  to  orna- 
ment the  town,  but  to  study  and  be  questioned  and 
examined.  Yankton  College  teaches  what  it  adver- 
tises to  teach,  and  does  it  by  means  of  teachers  who  are 
neither  here  for  their  health  nor  for  a  short  visit  to  the 
Territory;  and  if  the  truth  be  told,  it  will  appear  that 
the  Faculty  of  the  College  is  not  here  for  the  money 
there  is  in  the  salaries.  The  marvel  is  that  the  accom- 
plished men  and  women  who  are  giving  their  time  to 
tHis  work  can  be  retained  on  such  salaries.  They  do 
not  have  to  stay  here.  Some  of  them  gave  up  lucrative 
positions  to  work  in  the  College.  All  of  them  could 
command  higher  salaries  elsewhere.  But  they  stay  here 
and  faithfully  do  their  work,  and  put  up  with  all  sorts 
of  inconveniences,  while  they  do  it.  Yankton  College 
is  a  standing  miracle  of  what  faith  and  courage  and 
devotion  to  a  good  cause  can  do,  with  very  little  to  do 
with,"  "•••'  "••£'••-• 


60  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Early  in  the  year,  the  Trustees  gave  favorable  con- 
sideration to  a  plan  that  was  strongly  favored  by  Dr. 
Ward,  namely:  the  addition  of  a  theological  depart- 
ment to  the  College.  Besides  his  strong  interest  in  the 
preparation  of  young  men  for  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
the  President  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  existence  of 
such  a  department,  in  connection  with  the  regular  work 
of  the  College,  would  tend  to  incline  Christian  people 
in  the  East  to  contribute  to  its  support.  Moreover,  he 
was  quite  confident  that  Dr.  Duryea,  of  Boston,  would 
favorably  consider  a  call  to  take  charge  of  this  work. 
However,  Dr.  Duryea  decided  to  accept  a  call  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of 
Omaha.  This  fact  put  a  check  upon  the  attempt  to 
carry  out  the  plan;  and  Dr.  Ward's  loss  of  health  and 
subsequent  death  caused  the  scheme  to  be  utterly 
abandoned. 

Clear  tokens  appear  that  the  financial  burden  was 
becoming  heavier  and  heavier.  It  was  finally  decided 
that,  in  order  to  pay  debts  and  provide  for  immediate 
necessities,  a  loan  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  must  be 
secured.  At  length,  through  the  negotiations  of  Presi- 
dent Ward,  a  loan  for  that  amount  was  secured  from 
Rev.  Charles  Ray  Palmer,  D.  D.,  of  Bridgeport,  Con- 
necticut, with  a  mortgage  upon  the  property  of  the 
College  as  security.  In  the  following  summer,  an  addi- 
tional loan  of  seven  thousand  dollars  was  secured  from 
the  same  gentleman,  and  another  of  two  thousand, 
some  months  later.  On  the  back  cover  of  the  April 
Student,  appears  the  following  announcement  of  the 
needs  of  the  College:  "Yankton  College  wants: 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT   WARD     61 

$10,000  for  an  observatory. 
7,000  to  complete  Ladies'  Hall. 
10,000  from  South  Dakota  for  current  expenses. 
200,000  for  a  permanent  endowment . 
100  new  students  for  the  fall  term. 
One  gift  each  year  of  sure  amount  from  each  friend 
of  the  College." 

On  the  evening  of  April  23,  occurred  the  most  im- 
portant event  that  had  yet  marked  the  history  of  the 
Department  of  Music,  namely:  the  rendition  of  the 
Oratorio  of  The  Messiah  —  a  forerunner  of  the  May 
Festivals  that  have,  for  a  considerable  number  of 
years,  constituted  an  important  feature  of  the  closing 
weeks  of  the  college  year.  The  importance  of  the  occa- 
sion justifies  the  following  quotation  from  the  May 
Student : 

"The  Sacred  Oratorio  of  The  Messiah,  which  was 
rendered  by  the  Yankton  Choral  Union  on  the  evening 
of  April  23,  was  one  of  the  most  important  musical 
events  that  have  ever  happened  in  Dakota.  This  was 
the  first  performance  of  the  grand  Oratorio  ever  given  in 
the  Territory,  and  it  was  superbly  rendered,  especially 
so  considering  the  number  of  performers.  The  ladies7 
parts  were  well  sustained;  the  gentlemen  were  weak 
only  in  numbers.  The  manner  in  which  the  several 
choruses  were  rendered,  was  very  gratifying.  With 
great  care  was  the  conductor  watched,  and  changes  of 
tempo  were  promptly  obeyed.  Among  the  audience 
were  some  impartial  listeners,  who  had  heard  the  Ora- 
torio before,  and  who  declared  this  rendition  superior 
in  many  respects." 

Early  in  May,  came  the  second  Inter-collegiate  Con- 


62  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

test  in  Oratory,  and  in  connection  therewith  the  first 
Inter-collegiate  Contest  in  Athletics.  In  the  latter, 
Yankton  did  not  participate;  but  in  the  former, 
her  representative  —  Mr.  Elmer  A.  Chase  —  carried 
off  first  honors.  Added  interest  was  given  to  this  con- 
test by  the  fact  that  the  Drake  Company,  of  Sioux  Falls, 
presented  a  beautiful  and  valuable  slab  of  polished 
chalcedony  to  the  Association,  with  the  understanding 
that  the  college  whose  representative  should  win  first 
place,  should  retain  possession  of  the  slab  during  that 
year;  and  that  it  should  become  the  permanent  posses- 
sion of  the  institution  winning  the  greatest  number  of 
victories  in  the  period  of  five  years,  afterwards  extended 
to  seven.  The  names  of  the  victors  and  their  colleges 
were  to  be  inscribed  upon  it.  Accordingly,  the  name 
of  Mr.  Chase,  of  Yankton  College,  was  the  first  to  be 
inscribed.  The  succeeding  names  are  as  follows: 
F.  H.  Clarke,  Dakota  University,  1890.  A.  C.  Shep- 
herd, Dakota  University,  1891.  J.  W.  Barrington, 
Redfield  College,  1892.  T.  A.  Stubbins,  Yankton 
College,  1893.  A.  L.  Wilcox,  Yankton  College,  1894. 
A.  B.  Rowell,  Yankton  College,  1895.  By  virtue  of 
this  record,  the  slab  came  into  the  permanent  possession 
of  Yankton  College,  and  now  hangs  as  a  highly  prized 
trophy  upon  the  walls  of  the  Chapel. 

The  college  year  1889-90  was  destined  to  be  an  event- 
ful and  critical  period  in  the  history  of  the  institution, 
by  reason  of  the  death  of  the  man  upon  whose  shoulders 
had  rested  the  main  burden  of  its  maintenance  and  con- 
tinued progress. 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT   WARD    63 

A  number  of  changes  occurred  in  the  Faculty  at  this 
time.  Albert  T.  Free,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Iowa,  was  elected  Professor  of  Mineralogy, 
Geology,  and  Chemistry;  Emma  L.  Parsons,  M.  A., 
took  the  place  of  Mrs.  Wilder  as  Preceptress,  and  also 
served  as  Instructor  in  English;  Gustav  G.  Wenzlaff, 
B.  A.,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1888,  was  appointed 
Instructor.  Mr.  Wenzlaff  was  the  first  alumnus  of  the 
College  to  be  given  a  position  on  the  Faculty.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  teaching  of  German,  he  was  given  the  work 
in  Philosophy,  ranking  as  Instructor  in  German  and 
Philosophy.  The  vacancies  in  the  Musical  Depart- 
ment, caused  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young, 
were  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Mr.  John  Randolph 
as  Teacher  of  Voice,  and  of  Miss  Minnie  Jencks,  a 
graduate  of  the  Department,  as  Assistant  Teacher  of 
Piano.  Rev.  Clinton  Douglas  had  been  elected  by  the 
Trustees  to  serve  as  Field  Agent,  his  work  being  directed 
to  the  end  of  securing  new  students  and  contributions 
to  the  current-expense  and  endowment  funds.  Mrs. 
A.  L.  Camfield  became  Matron,  owing  to  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Dawson. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   DEATH   OF   PRESIDENT  WARD 

The  health  of  Dr.  Ward  had  become  so  seriously 
impaired,  partly  owing  to  the  germs  of  disease  im- 
planted in  his  system  during  military  service  in  the  Civil 
War,  partly  to  the  anxiety  and  strain  connected  with 
his  arduous  labors  in  securing  financial  support  for  the 
College,  that  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  active  work, 
and  could  not,  as  heretofore,  betake  himself  to  the  East 
for  the  purpose  of  soliciting  funds.  Indeed,  it  was  only 
too  clear  that,  though  he  was  in  the  prime  of  life,  being 
only  in  his  fifty-second  year,  he  was  face  to  face  with 
the  necessity  of  regarding  his  life's  work  as  finished. 
And  truly,  it  was  a  heart-breaking  necessity  for  one 
so  profoundly  interested  in  his  work  —  a  work  which 
he  could  only  feel  to  be  well  begun,  with  great  difficul- 
ties yet  to  be  overcome.  Then,  too,  there  was  his  fam- 
ily, consisting  mainly  of  young  children,  very  scantily 
provided  for.  Nevertheless,  this  hard  situation  was 
met  with  uncomplaining  Christian  fortitude.  The  im- 
mediate occasion  of  his  death  was  not,  however,  the 
deep-seated  disease,  to  which  reference  has  already  been 
made;  late  in  November,  a  carbuncle  developed,  which 
his  weakened  condition  made  him  unable  to  resist ;  and 
the  end  came  on  December  n.  His  last  words  of  fare- 
well to  members  of  the  Faculty  were  full  of  desire  and 

64 


THE  DEATH   OF  PRESIDENT  WARD        65 

solicitude  for  the  future  well-being  of  the  College  he 
had  loved  and  served  so  faithfully. 

To  those  who  were  most  intimately  connected  with 
the  College,  and  most  concerned  for  its  future,  Dr. 
Ward's  death  brought  feelings  of  dismay  and  forebod- 
ing. While  he  was  still  living,  it  seemed  impossible 
to  realize  that  his  power  to  work  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  institution  was  already  fatally  impaired.  But  now, 
all  hope  of  aid  from  his  large  mind  and  warm  heart 
was  gone.  Nevertheless,  there  were  not  wanting  brave 
souls  to  take  courage  from  Dr.  Ward's  own  words,  that 
though  men  pass  away,  the  work  must  go  on.  Ob- 
viously, an  unusual  burden  of  responsibility  rested  upon 
the  Trustees  in  this  crisis;  and  faithfully  did  they  strive 
to  carry  it.  The  Board,  at  that  time,  consisted  of  the 
following  gentlemen :  V.  V.  Barnes,  J.  M.  Fogerty,  Rev. 
W.  B.  D.  Gray,  E.  Miner,  J.  C.  McVay,  Rev.  D.  B. 
Nichols,  Rev.  A.  L.  Riggs,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  H.  D.  Wiard. 
Mr.  R.  J.  Gamble,  of  Yankton,  was  elected  to  fill  the 
place  on  the  Board  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Dr. 
Ward.  Dr.  Riggs  was  chosen  to  fill  the  responsible 
position  of  President  of  the  Board,  which  Dr.  Ward  had 
held  from  the  first.  He  had  but  recently  been  elected 
to  the  Board;  and  his  election  as  President  was  an 
expression  of  the  confidence  that  was  felt  in  the  sound- 
ness of  his  judgment,  and  his  fidelity  to  the  interests  of 
the  institution.  Nor  was  that  confidence  misplaced. 
In  the  trying  years  that  followed,  he  was  a  tower  of 
strength,  always  calm,  clear-headed,  utterly  loyal  to 
his  conviction  of  what  was  best  for  the  College.  To 


66  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

no  one  of  the  many  faithful  men  who  have  served  her 
as  Trustees,  does  she  owe  a  greater  debt  of  gratitude 
than  to  Dr.  Riggs.  It  is  a  matter  of  profound  regret 
that,  though  he  is  still  an  honored  member  of  the  Board, 
the  weight  of  advancing  years  and  enfeebled  health 
have  deprived  the  College,  in  large  part,  of  his  wise 
counsels. 

Immediately  upon  Dr.  Ward's  death,  the  Faculty, 
by  unanimous  vote,  requested  the  Trustees  to  appoint 
Rev.  D.  F.  Bradley,  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church,  to  the  position  of  Acting  President  of  the  Col- 
lege. To  this  request  the  Board  promptly  acceded. 
This  step  again  put  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 
Mr.  Bradley  was  a  man  of  boundless  energy  and  en- 
thusiasm, and  strongly  interested  in  the  success  of  the 
College.  To  the  unhesitating  devotion  of  these  quali- 
ties to  the  service  of  the  institution,  is  due,  in  large 
measure,  the  fact  that  its  progress  was  not  seriously 
crippled  by  the  disaster  that  had  befallen  it. 

The  Trustees  furthermore  voted  that  an  attempt 
should  be  made  to  raise  a  fund  of  $160,000  —  to  be 
known  as  the  Ward  Memorial  Fund  —  at  least  two- 
thirds  of  which  was  to  be  used  as  a  permanent  endow- 
ment. At  a  subsequent  meeting,  it  was  decided  to 
increase  the  proposed  amount  ,of  this  fund  to  $300,000. 
It  was  hoped  that  the  great  interest  in  the  institution 
that  had  been  aroused  by  Dr.  Ward's  untimely  death, 
might  be  the  means  of  freeing  it  from  debt,  and  putting 
it  upon  a  safe  financial  footing  for  the  future.  Although 
vigorous  efforts  were  put  forth  to  realize  this  hope,  and 


THE  DEATH   OF  PRESIDENT  WARD        67 

different  persons  were  sent  East  at  various  times  for  the 
purpose  of  enlisting  the  aid,  both  direct  and  indirect, 
of  Dr.  Ward's  friends,  nevertheless,  the  plan  proved 
an  impracticable  one,  only  a  comparatively  small  sum 
being  secured.  The  largest  amount  —  four  thousand 
dollars  —  was  contributed  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Towne,  of 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  a  warm  friend  of  Dr.  Ward, 
who  had  before  given  generously.  Another  of  these 
early  benefactors  of  the  institution,  who  deserves  to  be 
held  in  lasting  remembrance,  is  Mrs.  Skinner,  of  Perry 
Center,  New  York,  whose  son  was  an  early  friend  and 
companion  of  Dr.  Ward.  Having  become  interested 
in  the  College  through  an  address  of  Dr.  Ward's,  telling 
about  the  newly-founded  institution,  she  decided  to 
leave  her  estate,  of  twenty  to  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars,  to  the  College  at  her  death.  Afterwards,  she 
gave  two  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Kansas  and  South 
Dakota.  Unfortunately,  after  her  death,  her  will  was 
contested  and  set  aside;  so  that  her  intentions  were  not 
carried  out  as  she  had  designed. 

The  January  issue  of  The  Student  was  made  a  mem- 
orial number  in  honor  of  Dr.  Ward,  and  ontains 
numerous  testimonials  from  teachers,  classmates, 
friends,  and  associates,  showing  the  very  high  esteem 
and  affection  with  which  he  was  regarded.  From 
these,  I  shall  quote  only  a  few  sentences,  conveying 
typical  expressions  of  judgment.  Mr.  E.  D.  C.  McKay, 
an  early  teacher  of  Dr.  Ward,  to  whom  he  was  wont  to 
attribute  a  large  measure  of  whatever  was  good  in  his 
life,  wrote  as  follows: 


68  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

"  Considered  altogether,  in  his  intellectual  makeup, 
his  tone  and  elevation  of  character,  and  his  breadth 
and  his  soundness  of  judgment,  he  was  the  strongest 
and  most  promising  young  man  I  had  ever  met.  In 
the  long  stretch  of  years  since  then,  among  all  the  young 
men  —  some  thousands  —  I  have  observed  in  college 
and  elsewhere,  reckoning  him  on  the  broadest  and 
clearest  lines  that  point  to  high  usefulness  and  value 
as  a  man,  I  certainly  have  known  very  few  who  would 
rank  with  him." 

Dr.  C.  F.  P.  Bancroft,  at  that  time  Principal  of  Phil- 
lips Academy  at  Andover,  who,  as  has  been  stated,  gave 
the  first  Commencement  address  at  Yankton,  and  who 
was  a  fellow-student  of  Dr.  Ward  at  Andover,  wrote: 

"As  a  theological  student  he  showed  the  same  traits 
which  made  him  subsequently  the  effective  home  mis- 
sionary, the  faithful  pastor,  the  enterprising  and  saga- 
cious college  president.  There  was  the  same  candor 
of  judgment,  the  same  frankness  and  openness  of  ex- 
pression, quickness  of  sympathy,  the  abounding  good 
humor,  fertility  of  resources,  the  same  turn  for  practical 
business,  the  same  integrity  and  solidity  of  character, 
and  robust  and  gracious  piety.  Those  who  knew  what 
Dr.  Ward  was  in  Dakota  can  readily  understand  what 
he  must  have  been  in  the  Seminary." 

The  following  is  from  Judge  H.  J.  Campbell,  of 
Yankton,  closely  associated  with  Dr.  Ward  in  the 
struggle  for  Division  and  Statehood: 

"  It  is  a  significant  fact  that,  at  any  time,  had  he  been 
willing,  the  popular  sentiment  would  have  chosen  him 


THE  DEATH   OF  PRESIDENT  WARD        69 

as  one  of  South  Dakota's  first  United  States  senators. 
But  he  had  no  selfish  ambitions.  His  sphere  of  duties 
commanded  him  in  an  opposite  direction,  to  the  sacri- 
fice of  ease,  wealth,  and  finally  life,  and  he  peremp- 
torily and  absolutely  declined  to  allow  his  name  to  be 
urged  in  that  connection." 

Professor  John  T.  Shaw,  of  the  College  Faculty,  as- 
sociated with  Dr.  Ward  from  the  very  beginning  of  his 
work  as  President,  wrote  thus: 

"The  years  which  Joseph  Ward  gave  to  Yankton 
College,  were,  without  doubt,  the  richest  and  most 
fruitful  of  a  rich  and  fruitful  life.  They  were  the  years 
in  which  he  was  most  widely  known,  the  years  in  which 
his  influence  was  widest,  the  years  in  which  he  gathered 
in  from  most  various  sources  that  strength  which  went 
into  the  founding  and  upbuilding  of  this  last  achieve- 
ment of  his  life.  Yankton  College,  like  so  much  else 
that  is  good  in  South  Dakota,  is  the  work  of  Dr.  Ward. 
This  is  not  to  say  that  there  would  have  been  no  college 
established  by  the  churches  but  for  him;  for  that  has 
become  the  settled  policy  of  the  Congregational 
churches.  But  his  commission  from  the  Home 
Missionary  Society,  given  when  he  came  to  Dakota 
twenty-one  years  ago,  reminded  him  that  the  work  of 
Christian  education  went  hand  in  hand  with  the  work  of 
planting  churches,  and  he  never  lost  sight  of  that  part 
of  his  mission.  From  the  beginning,  then,  he  had  been 
identified  with  the  work  of  education,  always  looking 
to  the  time  when  a  Christian  College  should  be  the 
crown  and  consummation  of  that  work.  Early,  there- 


70  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

fore,  he  urged  upon  the  churches  the  application  to  the 
situation  here  of  the  policy  mentioned  above,  and 
urged  it  successfully." 

Another  clear  indication  of  the  large  place  that  Dr. 
Ward  had  come  to  fill  at  Yankton  and  in  Dakota,  is 
furnished  by  a  memorial  meeting,  held  in  honor  of  his 
memory  at  Yankton,  January  28,  1890.  The  call  for 
this  meeting,  which  was  held  in  Turner  Hall,  with  the 
Mayor  of  the  City  as  presiding  officer,  says;  "All  citi- 
zens of  Yankton  are  respectfully  invited  to  show  by  their 
presence  that  respect  for  the  memory  of  Dakota's  great- 
est and  noblest  citizen  and  one  of  Yankton' s  best  and 
truest  friends  which  they  all  cherish  so  profoundly  in 
their  hearts."  The  meeting  was  opened  with  prayer 
by  Rev.  E.  E.  Clough,  pastor  of  the  Methodist  church 
of  Yankton.  The  main  address  of  the  evening  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  J.  T.  Duryea,  D.  D.,  of  Omaha.  It 
was  a  searching  application  of  the  lesson  of  Dr.  Ward's 
life  to  the  life  of  Yankton.  An  original  poem  was  read 
by  Mr.  A.  B.  Wilcox.  Afterwards,  brief  addresses  were 
made  by  Judge  Campbell,  Hon.  Geo.  H.  Hand,  and 
Hon.  R.  J.  Gamble.  Judge  Campbell  spoke  of  J)r. 
Ward  as  "the  greatest  man  intellectually  as  well  as 
morally,  whom  the  two  Dakotas  have  produced." 
Again,  he  says:  "He  was  the  most  noble,  loyal,  faithful 
and  royal  soul  whom  I  have  ever  met,  whose  more  than 
kingly  crown  was  the  simple  crown  of  service  to  you, 
to  me,  to  all  of  us."  Still  again,  he  says:  "If  South 
Dakota  ever  rears  in  her  mansion  of  statehood  any 
statues  in  memory  of  any  of  her  sons,  who  have  done 


THE   DEATH   OF  PRESIDENT  WARD        71 

the  state  signal  service  in  critical  times  of  danger,  and 
have  helped  most  to  shape  her  destiny  for  good,  fore- 
most arid  highest  among  them  all,  will  stand  the  noble, 
genial,  powerful  form  of  Joseph  Ward."  Mr.  Hand, 
in  the  course  of  his  remarks,  said:  "I  know  that  one  of 
the  best  governors  Dakota  ever  had  —  Governor 
Howard  —  frequently  consulted  Dr.  Ward  on  public 
matters;  and  I  myself,  while  acting  as  Governor  after 
the  death*  of  the  lamented  Mr.  Howard,  availed  myself 
of  the  counsel  and  wisdom  of  our  departed  friend.  He 
was  not  only  a  true  friend,  but  a  safe  and  conscientious 
adviser."  Mr.  R.  J.  Gamble,  speaking  as  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  forcibly  presented  the  claims 
of  the  College  upon  the  city  of  Yankton  for  substantial 
financial  assistance  in  this  critical  point  of  its  history. 
I  quote  a  few  of  his  statements : 

"It  was  the  location  of  this  institution  that  governed 
the  selection  of  the  largest  investor  in  city  property  last 
year.  Its  growth  and  prosperity  is  a  certain  enhance- 
ment to  the  property  in  its  neighborhood.  The  result 
of  the  last  season  certainly  demonstrates  it.  But  in 
itself  it  represents  a  property  of  considerable  value  in  a 
city  of  not  the  largest  commercial  claims.  The  real 
estate,  outside  of  buildings,  at  a  moderate  estimate,  is 
well  worth  $45,000;  its  buildings,  $35,000;  its  personal 
property,  $30,000  more.  This  makes  a  total  of  $110, 
ooo.  As  a  means  of  bringing  to  and  distributing  an- 
nually in  the  city,  it  is  entitled  to  respectful  considera- 
tion. Its  pay-roll  to  professors  and  teachers  amounts 
annually  to  $12,000;  there  is  annually  expended  by  the 


72  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

students  $20,000;  while  fuel,  lights,  and  incidentals 
will  aggregate  $2,000,  giving  a  total  of  $34,000.  It  is 
largely  with  us  to  say  what  the  future  of  the  institution 
will  be.  The  seer  who  largely  carried  its  responsi- 
bilities, and  made  it  so  much,  can  do  so  no  longer; 
others  must  assume  their  part,  or  the  work  will  not  be 
done.  This  institution,  like  all  institutions  of  like  age 
and  limited  endowment,  is  in  peril.  No  such  institu- 
tion is  or  can  be  self-supporting.  The  income  from 
tuition  at  the  best  is  limited,  and  of  little  consequence 
to  its  main  support.  It  is  a  constant  alms-taker,  and 
will  always  be  needy  until  a  sufficient  endowment  is 
secured.  Yankton  has  always  been  generous  in  its 
support  of  the  College  from  its  organization.  To  be 
crippled  now,  in  the  full  tide  of  its  prosperity,  would  be 
a  calamity,  from  which  it  would  take  years  to  recuper- 
ate. To  strengthen  it  now  would  be  to  send  it  on  with 
higher  hopes  for  its  future;  and  it  would  demonstrate 
to  its  more  distant  friends  that  its  benefits  are  appre- 
ciated here,  and  its  responsibilities  assumed,  as  well." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   INTERREGNUM    (1889-1892) 

A  joint  committee  of  the  Trustees  and  Faculty  was 
appointed,  charged  with  the  duty  of  securing  a  succes- 
sor to  Dr.  Ward.  But  it  was  a  difficult  task  to  induce 
a  man  of  the  requisite  qualifications  to  accept  the  presi- 
dency of  a  new  institution  heavily  burdened  with  debt. 
Though  a  number  of  different  gentlemen  were  tendered 
the  position,  in  the  course  of  the  next  two  years,  none 
saw  his  way  clear  to  acceptance. 

To  the  great  joy  of  everybody  directly  connected  with 
the  College,  the  long-deferred  and  much-desired  com- 
pletion of  Ladies'  Hall,  made  it  possible  to  occupy  the 
building  at  the  opening  of  the  winter  term.  This  event 
marked  a  great  improvement  by  providing  a  comforta- 
ble and  pleasant  domicile  for  the  young  women,  and 
also  a  cheerful  dining  room,  in  place  of  the  gloomy  and 
inconvenient  basement  of  Middle  Hall,  for  those  who 
patronized  the  College  Boarding  Department.  The 
deserted  basement  was  later  fitted  up  as  a  gymnasium, 
and  doubtless  did  something  to  stimulate  interest  in 
Physical  Training  and  Athletics.  Nevertheless,  The 
Student  continues  to  voice  frequent  complaints  as  to 
the  unsatisfactory  condition  of  that  line  of  College  activ- 
ities. The  first  intercollegiate  game  of  football  occurred 
in  the  preceding  November,  the  game  being  played 

73 


74  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

north  of  the  old  Milwaukee  depot  against  the  State 
University  team.  The  writer  has  a  very  distinct  recol- 
lection of  that  game,  which  was  the  first  that  most  of  us 
had  seen.  Dr.  Ward  was  present,  accompanied  by 
General  Beadle,  then  of  Yankton,  now  of  Madison,  and 
Dr.  McLouth,  at  that  time  President  of  the  Agricul- 
tural College  at  Brookings.  The  result  of  the  contest 
was  a  crushing  defeat  for  Yankton,  making  it  entirely 
clear  that  the  new-fangled  game  was  far  from  being 
mastered  by  the  Yankton  athletes.  In  the  following 
year,  the  athletic  situation  was  considerably  improved 
by  the  re-organization  of  the  Olympian  Athletic  Asso- 
ciation, which  had  taken  the  place  of  the  defunct  Ath- 
lon Club.  The  plan  was  adopted  of  putting  all  athletic 
matters  in  charge  of  this  organization  —  an  arrange- 
ment which  continued  for  a  considerable  number  of 
years.  Of  the  re-organized  Association,  the  officers 
were:  J.  F.  Hall,  President;  E.  Burgi,  Vice-President ; 
E.  F.  Himes,  Secretary  -Treasurer;  G.  W.  Nash,  Cap- 
tain of  First  Nine. 

In  July,  1890,  Rev.  J.  H.  Kyle,  at  that  time  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  church  of  Aberdeen,  was  appointed 
by  the  Trustees  Financial  Agent  of  the  College.  His 
work  was  to  be  especially  the  securing  of  contributions 
to  the  Ward  Memorial  Fund.  In  the  Fall,  Mr.  Kyle 
went  East  for  this  purpose,  and  gave  every  promise  of 
proving  himself  an  energetic  and  successful  solicitor. 
However,  his  activities  in  this  line  of  work  were  des- 
tined to  be  brief;  inasmuch  as  the  Legislature  of  South 
Dakota,  after  an  exciting  contest,  elected  Mr.  Kyle  to 


THE  INTERREGNUM  75 

the  high  position  of  United  States  senator.  In  a  Fourth 
of  July  address,  he  had  expressed  views  which  won  the 
warm  approval  of  the  Populist  members  of  the  Legis- 
lature, who  controlled  the  situation.  When  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  issues  that  were  then  being  debated 
in  the  Senate,  Mr.  Kyle  gradually  assumed  the  position 
of  an  Independent  Republican,  and  slowly  but  surely 
won  for  himself  the  respect  both  of  his  fellow-senators 
and  of  the  people  of  his  state.  After  a  very  successful 
term,  he  was  re-elected,  but  died  during  his  second 
term. 

One  result  of  the  real  estate  boom  that  Yankton  ex- 
perienced during  that  period  of  its  history,  was  the 
building  of  a  street  railway  on  Douglas  Avenue,  from 
Third  Street  to  the  Cemetery.  It  was  a  convenience 
for  down-town  students,  while  it  continued  in  active 
operation;  but  the  movement  to  which  its  origin  was 
due,  did  not  prove  to  be  permanent;  and  after  a  time, 
the  two  cars  constituting  the  rolling  stock  ceased  their 
perambulations;  and,  finally,  the  track  was  removed. 

One  member  of  the  Faculty  —  Professor  A.  T.  Free 
-possessed  considerable  political  influence,  having 
previously  served  as  a  member  of  the  Territorial  Board 
of  Education.  During  this  year,  the  Governor  of  the 
newly  formed  State  of  South  Dakota,  appointed  him 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity; and,  in  the  following  year,  he  became  one  of 
the  Board  of  Regents,  and  Chairman  of  the  committee 
in  charge  of  the  University. 

The  year  1890-91  opened  with  but  few  changes  in  the 


76  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Faculty  list.  Professor  Bartlett  was  granted  leave  of 
absence  for  one  year,  his  place  being  filled  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  Fred  F.  Thwing,  B.  A.,  a  recent  Oberlin 
graduate,  as  Instructor  in  Mathematics,  Physics,  and 
Astronomy.  Alice  R.  Kingsbury,  B.  A.,  who  consti- 
tuted the  class  of  1890,  received  the  position  of  In- 
structor in  French.  Miss  Kingsbury  was  a  student  of 
the  institution  almost  at  the  beginning,  and  is  still  a 
member  of  the  Faculty,  occupying  the  chair  of  French 
and  German.  Her  connection  with  the  College  ex- 
ceeds in  duration  that  of  any  other  person. 

Owing  to  election  to  the  United  States  Senate  of  Mr. 
Kyle,  the  Financial  Agent  of  the  College,  the  Trustees 
decided  to  send  Professor  Free  to  the  East,  to  continue 
there  Mr.  Kyle's  work  in  behalf  of  the  financial  inter- 
ests of  the  institution.  The  stress  of  the  financial  sit- 
uation was  greatly  relieved  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
the  Congregational  Education  Society  agreed  to  con- 
tribute $8,000  per  year  toward  the  current  expenses, 
on  condition  that  the  College  authorities  should  provide 
the  additional  sum  of  $5333.00.  In  truth,  this  agree- 
ment, faithfully  observed  until  the  financial  condition 
became  materially  improved,  was  of  vital  importance 
to  the  institution;  and  it  owes  a  lasting  debt  of  grati- 
tude to  this  Society.  An  additional  condition  upon 
which  the  Society  consented  to  this  arrangement,  was 
that  Professor  Free  should  be  given  a  year's  leave  of 
absence,  in  order  that  he  might  work  in  New  England 
as  an  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Society. 

One  of  this  year's  signs  of  progress  was  the  organiza- 


THE  INTERREGNUM  77 

tion  of  a  new  literary  society  —  the  Thegn  —  member- 
ship in  which  was  to  be  confined  exclusively  to  young 
men  belonging  to  the  College  proper.  This  society 
has  survived  down  to  the  present  time;  though  it  now 
has  a  brother-society  —  the  Adelphian  —  for  College 
men.  The  annual  banquet  of  the  Thegns,  held  for 
quite  a  number  of  years,  on  the  evening  of  Washing- 
ton's birthday,  was,  during  its  continuance,  the  most 
notable  event  of  the  year  in  the  social  life  of  the  College. 
In  this,  the  first  year  of  its  existence,  the  society  im- 
mortalized itself  by  producing  an  original  drama,  writ- 
ten by  one  of  its  members  —  Mr.  James  F.  Hall  —  and 
played  by  Mr.  Hall  and  his  fellow  Thegns.  The  play 
was  brought  out  not  only  in  the  College  Chapel,  in 
Middle  Hall,  but  also  down  town,  in  Turner  Hall. 

An  amendment  was  made  in  the  by-laws  this  year 
whereby  it  was  stipulated  that  the  members  of  the  Cor- 
porate Board  should  not  exceed  fifty  in  number,  a 
majority  of  whom  were  to  be  members  of  Congrega- 
tional churches;  furthermore,  that,  of  the  total  number, 
the  Alumni  Association  might  nominate  five  from  their 
own  membership.  Another  innovation  was  the  election 
of  two  ladies  to  the  Board  —  Mrs.  Hattie  Phillips,  of 
Sioux  Falls,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  F.  Ward,  of  Yankton,  the 
widow  of  Dr.  Ward.  Another  new  feature  of  the  year 
was  an  anticipation  of  the  later  form  of  Commencement 
exercises,  namely :  the  substitution  of  a  Commencement 
address  by  some  prominent  speaker  from  abroad  for  the 
usual  orations  and  essays  of  the  graduating  class,  the 
place  of  the  latter  being  taken  by  Class  Day  exercises 


78  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

and  theses.  On  this  occasion,  however,  the  theses  were 
omitted;  and  the  energies  of  the  class  were  all  devoted 
to  the  Class  Day  exercises,  with  the  result  that  they  were 
of  a  high  standard  of  excellence.  This  class,  which  was 
the  largest  that  had  yet  graduated,  consisted  of  four 
young  men :  James  F.  Hall,  Henry  W.  Jamison,  Harry 
R.  Miner,  and  George  W.  Nash,  and  two  young  women : 
Abbie  I.  Phillips  and  Anna  Marie  Wenzlaff.  The 
Commencement  address  was  given  by  Rev.  James  G. 
Johnson,  D.  D.,  of  Chicago.  An  important  step  for- 
ward was  taken  by  the  organization  of  the  Alumni  As- 
sociation, whose  first  official  action  was  to  establish  a 
prize  of  twenty-five  dollars  for  the  young  women's 
declamation  contest,  known  as  the  Alumni  Prize. 

The  year  1891-2  was  marked  by  an  unusual  number  of 
changes  in  the  Faculty.  Acting  President  Bradley  felt 
obliged  to  resign  his  position,  in  order  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  his  pastoral  work;  and,  in  consequence,  Pro- 
fessor H.  H.  Swain  became,  for  the  year,  the  executive 
head  of  the  school,  as  Dean  of  the  Faculty,  discharging 
the  duties  of  the  position  with  marked  efficiency.  To  the 
great  regret  of  everybody  connected  with  the  College, 
Professor  Shaw  resigned  the  Professorship  of  Latin  at 
the  close  of  the  preceding  year,  in  order  to  become  the 
head  of  the  Latin  department  in  the  Academy  of  Ober- 
lin  College,  a  position  which  he  still  occupies.  As  one 
of  the  original  Faculty,  he  had  exercised  a  marked  in- 
fluence upon  the  life  and  development  of  the  College 
in  its  early  days.  Mr.  Edward  A.  Bechtel,  a  graduat 
of  Johns  Hopkins,  was  appointed  Acting  Professor  of 


THE  INTERREGNUM  79 

Latin.  As  has  already  been  mentioned,  Professor 
Free  had  been  given  a  year's  leave  of  absence,  in  order 
that  he  might  engage  in  financial  work  in  the  East.  To 
fill  the  gap,  Dexter  P.  Nicholson,  M.  S.,  a  graduate  of 
Lawrence  University,  who  had  taken  graduate  work 
at  Johns  Hopkins,  was  appointed  Instructor  in  Natural 
Sciences.  Mr.  J.  F.  Hall,  a  member  of  the  graduating 
class,  who  had  shown  decided  literary  talent  as  editor 
of  The  Student  and  in  other  ways,  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  Instructor  in  English,  a  position  which  he  filled 
with  great  success  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  was  given  the  position  of  Professor  of  Rhetoric 
and  English  Literature,  with  leave  of  absence  for  one 
year  to  be  spent  in  graduate  study.  His  health  had 
already  become  impaired;  and  he  was  able  to  pursue 
his  studies  at  Stanford  University  for  only  a  brief  time. 
His  untimely  death,  occurring  October  14,  1894,  was 
deeply  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him,  because  of  his 
endowments  and  large  promise  of  future  usefulness. 
The  work  in  Art  had  been  discontinued  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  was  now  resumed,  with  Miss  Minnie  A. 
Baldwin,  a  graduate  of  Carleton  College,  as  Teacher 
of  Drawing  and  Painting.  Misses  Nettie  M.  Danielson 
and  Bernice  E.  Hall  appear  as  new  instructors  in  the 
Conservatory  of  Music. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  held  on  Jan- 
uary 13,  Mr.  E.  L.  Clarke,  a  resident  of  the  State,  who 
had  become  interested  in  the  College,  proposed  that  he 
should,  at  his  own  expense,  construct  an  astronomical 
observatory,  to  be  a  memorial  to  his  father,  the  late 


8o  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Joseph  B.  Clarke,  of  Oberlin,  Ohio.  Needless  to  say, 
the  offer  was  gladly  and  thankfully  accepted.  How- 
ever, owing  to  later  developments  in  the  financial  situa- 
tion, the  realization  of  the  plan  was  deferred  for  a  time. 
In  the  meanwhile,  the  lack  of  an  observatory  was  being 
supplied  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  J.  T.  M.  Pierce, 
at  that  time  a  citizen  of  Yankton,  who  had  constructed 
a  small  private  observatory,  which  he  freely  put  at  the 
service  of  the  classes  in  Astronomy. 

Mr.  Clarke's  generous  proposal  brought  much  of  en- 
couragement, which  was  vastly  increased  by  the  fact 
that,  about  the  first  of  March,  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons,  a 
wealthy  Chicago  capitalist,  who  had  decided  to  dispose 
of  the  bulk  of  his  fortune  in  strengthening  the  financial 
foundations  of  such  colleges  as  seemed  to  him  especially 
worthy  of  such  aid,  submitted  a  proposal  to  the  follow- 
ing effect:  "I  will  give  to  Yankton  College  a  science 
hall  costing  $50,000,  provided  the  friends  of  the  College 
will  pay  its  debts  and  raise  an  endowment  of  $100,000 
before  July,  1893."  Dr.  Pearsons'  willingness  to  ex- 
tend help  to  the  College  at  this  time  was  doubtless  due, 
mainly,  to  the  fact  that  Dr.  Ward  had  come  in  contact 
with  him  previous  to  his  death.  At  their  last  inter- 
view, Dr.  Pearsons  said  that  "  he  would  do  something 
for  Yankton  College."  Through  the  clouds  of  dis- 
couragement due  to  the  harassing  debt  and  uncertainty 
as  to  the  future  of  the  institution,  came  a  bright  gleam 
of  hope.  Nevertheless,  it  was  evident  that  the  hope 
could  be  realized  only  by  herculean  efforts  on  the  part 
of  those  responsible  for  the  financial  interests  of  the 


THE  INTERREGNUM  81 

institution,  and  by  the  most  generous  giving  on  the  part 
of  all  its  friends.  The  accumulated  debts,  of  which 
the  largest  item  was  the  mortgages  upon  the  College 
property  held  by  Dr.  Charles  R.  Palmer,  with  their 
unpaid  interest,  now  amounted  to  a  sum  well  on  toward 
$50,000.  To  meet  Dr.  Pearsons'  offer,  therefore,  meant 
the  securing  of  about  $i  50,000  —  a  task  which  past 
experience  had  shown  to  be  no  easy  matter. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees,  held  March  i,  on  the 
unanimous  recommendation  of  the  Faculty,  it  was  voted 
to  confer  the  presidency  of  the  institution  upon  Albert 
Tallman  Free,  M.  A.,  Professor  of  Mineralogy  and 
Geology.  Those  most  intimately  connected  with  the 
College  had  come  to  feel  strongly  that  to  continue  longer 
without  a  recognized  and  responsible  head  of  the  insti- 
tution was  extremely  undesirable.  Furthermore,  it 
appeared  practically  impossible  to  secure,  in  the  imme- 
diate future,  a  man  for  the  presidency  of  sufficient 
ability  to  justify  the  action.  On  the  other  hand,  Pro- 
fessor Free  had  given  indications  of  possessing  capaci- 
ties that  were  of  extreme  importance  for  meeting  the 
conditions  at  that  time  existing. 

At  the  same  meeting,  it  was  decided  that  the  Pre- 
paratory Department  of  the  College  should  henceforth 
be  known  as  the  Academy.  It  was  intended  that  a 
clear  line  of  separation  should  be  drawn  between  it 
and  the  College  proper,  which  had  not  hitherto  been  the 
case;  looking  forward  to  the  speedy  coming  of  the  time 
when  the  Academy  should  have  a  separate  building  and 
faculty.  In  accordance  with  this  policy,  a  Principal 


82  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

of  the  Academy  was  engaged  for  the  coming  year,  whose 
work  was  to  be  specifically  the  organization  and  devel- 
opment of  that  department  of  the  institution.  More- 
over, the  custom  was  introduced  of  having  College 
chapel  services  and  recitations  in  the  forenoon,  and 
those  of  the  Academy  in  the  afternoon ;  whereas,  form- 
erly, the  chapel  services  had  been  held  in  common; 
and  the  recitations  had  gone  on  simultaneously.  After 
two  years'  trial,  this  policy  of  separation  was  largely 
abandoned  —  an  outcome  to  which  various  causes  con- 
tributed. Whatever  weight  rightfully  attached  to  the 
reasons  for  this  reversal  of  policy  —  and  doubtless,  it 
was  considerable  —  nevertheless,  it  is  probable  that  a 
more  strenuous  effort  to  recognize  the  general  differ- 
ence in  age,  acquirements,  and  aims,  of  the  two  classes 
of  students,  would  have  been  advantageous. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  this  year,  the  Corporate 
Board  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with  a  committee 
of  the  General  Association  of  Congregational  Churches 
of  South  Dakota,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  some  plan 
for  securing  and  promoting  a  closer  connection  between 
the  Corporate  Board,  as  representing  the  College,  and 
the  Congregational  churches  of  the  State.  The  plan 
that  was  finally  adopted,  provided  that  the  Corporate 
Board  might  include  three  members  nominated  by  the 
General  Association,  and  one  member  nominated  by 
each  of  the  local  associations. 

It  was  also  decided  that,  for  the  present,  the  Ward 
residence  should  be  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  Conserva- 
tory of  Music  and  the  Department  of  Art.  The  build- 


THE  INTERREGNUM  83 

ing  was  a  substantial  brick  structure,  erected  by  Dr. 
Ward  in  1873  as  his  home;  but  after  his  death  it  had, 
for  the  time  being,  come  into  the  possession  of  the  Col- 
lege. There,  the  two  departments  found  commodious 
quarters,  though  somewhat  remote  from  the  College, 
until  the  completion  of  Ward  Hall  made  other 
arrangements  possible. 

It  was  decided  by  the  Trustees  to  engage  Rev.  W.  B. 
Hubbard,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Cham- 
berlain, as  Secretary  of  the  College,  and  Mrs.  Sarah 
F.  Ward  as  Assistant  Secretary  for  correspondence, 
her  main  duty  to  be  the  rendering  of  aid  in  securing 
contributions  for  meeting  the  conditions  of  Dr. 
Pearsons'  offer. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  FREE  (1892-1895) 

With  the  beginning  of  the  college  year  1892-3,  Presi- 
dent Free  took  up  in  person  the  active  duties  of  the 
presidency,  occupying  the  position  until  the  beginning 
of  the  college  year  1895-6.  This  period  of  three  years, 
covered  by  his  adminstration,  will  be  treated  as  a  whole 
from  two  points  of  view:  first,  the  more  external  and 
material  events;  second,  the  more  internal,  and,  from 
the  college  point  of  view,  more  vital  events. 

The  great  problem  of  this  period,  overshadowing, 
to  a  large  degree,  everything  else,  was  to  devise  ways 
and  means  for  meeting  the  conditions  imposed  by  Dr. 
Pearsons,  thereby  freeing  the  College  from  its  crush- 
ing load  of  debt,  making  a  good  beginning  on  a  per- 
manent endowment,  and  securing  a  substantial  and 
greatly  needed  addition  to  its  equipment.  Only  so,  it 
was  clear,  could  the  institution  hope  for  continued 
life  and  growth.  In  view  of  the  situation,  it  was  de- 
cided by  the  Trustees,  in  the  fall  of  1892,  that  Mrs. 
Ward  should  go  to  the  East,  and  endeavor  to  enlist  the 
interest  and  co-operation  of  the  friends  of  Dr.  Ward. 
Though  naturally  reluctant  to  leave  her  young  family, 
she,  nevertheless,  faithfully  endeavored  to  carry  out  the 
wishes  of  the  Trustees,  and  both  at  that  time  and  later 
did  effective  and  fruitful  service.  At  home,  a  strong 

84 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  FREE     85 

helper  was  found  in  the  person  of  Mr.  E.  L.  Clarke, 
who,  as  has  already  been  said,  had  promised  the  gift  of 
an  observatory,  but  wisely  postponed  the  carrying  out  of 
this  plan  until  Dr.  Pearsons'  offer  should  be  disposed 
of.  Toward  this  end,  Mr.  Clarke  not  only  himself  con- 
tributed a  substantial  sum,  but  also  undertook,  without 
compensation,  to  secure  as  large  an  amount  as  possi- 
ble out  in  the  State.  Everybody  interested  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  College  —  the  governing  Boards,  Faculty, 
students,  alumni,  the  Congregational  churches  —  felt 
impelled  to  do  their  utmost  in  this  crisis.  Rev.  G.  W. 
Rexford,  of  Plankinton,  did  especially  effective  service  by 
organizing  the  campaign  among  the  Christian  Endeavor 
Societies  of  the  State.  Rev.  W.  B.  D.  Gray,  long  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  proved  himself  to 
be  a  man  of  unusual  capacity  for  this  sort  of  effort ;  and 
his  work  in  the  State  and  in  Yankton  was  crowned  with 
large  success.  Mr.  Gray  had  been  a  warm  friend  of 
Dr.  Ward  and  of  the  College,  from  the  time  when  he 
first  came  to  Dakota.  All  of  his  four  sons  became 
students  in  the  institution,  three  of  them  graduating, 
one  of  whom  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Ward.  To  Mr. 
Gray's  strong  will,  clear  judgment,  and  thorough  and 
skillful  planning,  is  the  large  degree  of  success  that  was 
ultimately  achieved,  primarily  due.  So  vital  was  this 
success  to  the  future  welfare  of  the  College  that  Mr. 
Gray  must  be  ranked  among  the  foremost  of  its  bene- 
factors. 

When  it  became  clear  that  the  entire  amount  needed 
to  pay  off  all  debts,  and  to  create  an  endowment  fund 


86  .        YANKTON  COLLEGE 

of  $100,000,  could  not  be  secured  by  the  time  specified 
in  Dr.  Pearsons'  offer,  namely:  July  i,  1893,  he  con- 
sented to  modify  his  proposition,  promising  that  if  by 
Commencement  $25,000  should  have  been  contributed 
by  Yankton,  $25,000  by  people  in  the  State,  and  the 
same  amount  by  friends  outside  of  the  State,  he  would 
give  $25,000  for  the  construction  of  a  science  hall. 
Thanks  to  the  vigorous  efforts  put  forth  by  the  workers 
already  mentioned  and  by  others,  these  conditions  were 
more  than  met;  and  Commencement  was  made  glad 
by  the  consciousness  of  so  large  a  measure  of  success 
attained,  and  by  the  breaking  of  ground  for  the  new 
building  —  Ward  Hall  of  Science  —  so  called  at  Dr. 
Pearsons'  request,  that  it  might  serve  as  a  memorial  to 
Dr.  Ward.  The  site  of  the  new  structure  was  marked 
out  by  a  plow  drawn  by  the  hands  of  enthusiastic  stu- 
dents. It  was  the  universal  feeling  that  a  new  era  had 
dawned  in  the  history  of  the  College. 

Appreciation  of  Mr.  Clarke's  services  was  mani- 
fested by  his  election  to  the  Board  of  Trustees;  while 
Mr.  Gray  was  fortunately  persuaded  to  give  up  his  work 
as  Superintendent  of  the  work  of  the  Congregational 
Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society  in  South  Dakota 
and  Wyoming,  in  order  to  become  General  Treasurer 
of  the  College.  Dr.  Pearsons  had  indicated  his  desire 
that  he  might  be  enabled  to  pay  over  the  remaining 
$25,000  of  his  original  offer  by  the  raising  of  another 
$75,000  on  the  part  of  the  College.  This  was  the  great 
task  entrusted  to  Mr.  Gray,  wherein  he  was  to  have  the 
aid  of  Mrs.  Ward.  Certainly,  the  problem  of  placing 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT   FREE     87 

the  institution  upon  a  sound  financial  basis  was  no  easy 
one.  According  to  a  report  made  by  Mr.  Gray  to  the 
Trustees  on  January  4,  1894,  the  current  expenses  for 
the  year  would  amount  to  $25,000;  whereas  the  total 
income  was  only  $15,000.  However,  progress  was 
made,  in  spite  of  difficulties,  through  Mr.  Gray's  ener- 
getic efforts.  In  the  fall  of  1894,  an  arrangement  was 
made  with  the  Congregational  Education  Society  where- 
by that  organization  undertook  to  pay  $15,000  on  the 
Palmer  mortgages,  provided  the  remainder,  about 
$20,000,  should  be  paid  by  the  College.  At  Commence- 
ment, 1895,  Mr.  Gray  was  able  to  report  that,  since 
September  i,  debts  of  the  College  aggregating  $67,000 
had  been  paid.  This  included  the  Palmer  mortgages, 
amounting  to  $34,000.  Thus  the  heavy  weight  that 
had  been  so  seriously  impeding  the  onward  progress 
of  the  institution  was  removed.  Moreover,  the  endow- 
ment funds  had  now  reached  the  respectable  sum  of 
more  than  $50,0x30,  though  a  large  part  of  this  amount 
was  subject  to  shrinkage.  The  attainment  of  such 
large  results  was  greatly  aided  by  the  fact  that,  because 
of  generous  gifts  from  other  sources,  the  College  was 
enabled  to  lay  claim  to  Dr.  Pearsons'  second  $25,000. 
Of  this  sum,  $12,500  became  a  part  of  the  productive 
permanent  endowment.  For  this  happy  outcome, 
especially  hearty  thanks  are  due  to  two  generous  givers 
-Mrs.  Charlotte  M.  Fiske  and  Rev.  E.  K.  Alden, 
D.  D.  Mrs.  Fiske,  a  wealthy  lady  of  Boston,  who, 
though  an  Episcopalian,  had  become  strongly  inter- 
ested in  the  College  through  Mr.  Gray,  had  already 


88  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

given  the  sum  of  $5000,  subject  to  an  annuity.  To 
this  sum  she  now  added  $10,000,  under  like  conditions. 
Moreover,  she  made  a  gift  of  $5000,  for  the  complete 
furnishing  of  Ward  Hall,  as  a  memorial  to  her  husband, 
Joseph  N.  Fiske.  In  acknowledgment  of  this  gift,  the 
Chapel,  which  is  located  on  the  second  floor  of  this 
building,  is  called  "  Fiske  Assembly  Room."  The 
gift  of  Dr.  Alden,  at  one  time  Secretary  of  the  American 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  amounted  to  $10,000,  and 
came  at  a  time  when  the  whole  effort  to  pay  off  the  debt, 
and  lay  a  foundation  for  a  permanent  endowment,  was 
threatening  to  end  in  failure.  It  was,  therefore,  thrice 
welcome;  nor  was  it  the  only  token  of  Dr.  Alden's  in- 
terest in  the  institution,  since  the  total  of  his  gifts 
amounted  to  about  $16,000. 

Upon  the  payment  of  the  mortgages  held  by  Dr. 
Palmer,  a  substantial  gift  was  made  by  him  to  the  Col- 
lege, in  the  form  of  a  permanent  fund  of  $2500,  to  be 
known  as  the  Alfred  Barnes  Palmer  Library  Fund,  the 
income  of  which  was  to  be  used  in  making  additions  to 
the  library.  Dr.  Palmer  gave  this  fund  as  a  memorial 
to  his  son,  who  had  once  visited  the  College  in  company 
with  his  father,  and  had  on  that  occasion  expressed  a 
wish  that  he  might  do  something  for  it.  This  fund  has, 
indeed,  been  a  great  benefit  to  the  institution,  render- 
ing it  possible  to  add  regularly,  each  year,  a  consider- 
able number  of  the  books  for  which  the  most  press- 
ing need  is  felt.  The  only  other  permanent  resource 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  library  has  been  an  annual 
gift  of  $100  or  more,  which,  almost  from  the  beginning 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  FREE     89 

of  the  existence  of  the  College,  has  come  from  the  "  Gov- 
ernor Phillips  Charitable  Donation  Fund,"  of  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  Massachusetts.  This  money,  how- 
ever, by  the  terms  of  the  gift,  must  be  expended  for 
religious  books.  To  it  is  mainly  due  the  large  and  val- 
uable collection  of  works  on  religion  and  theology,  to  be 
found  in  the  library. 

In  June,  1894,  Mr.  Clarke  began  the  construction 
of  the  Observatory,  completing  it  before  cold  weather 
came.  While  not  a  large  building,  it  is  substantially 
constructed  of  brick.  A  seven-inch  telescope,  costing 
$1600,  was  given  by  Mr.  A.  C.  Dakin.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dakin  had  repeatedly  shown  such  a  generous  interest  in 
the  institution  that  it  was  decided  to  change  the  name  of 
Ladies'  Hall  to  Dakin  Hall,  in  their  honor. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1894-5,  Rev.  E.  M.  Williams, 
D.  D.,  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  Yankton  Congrega- 
tional church,  became  a  member  of  the  Corporate 
Board,  and  also  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  During 
the  remaining  years  of  his  stay  in  Yankton,  Dr.  Wil- 
liams, who  was  a  man  of  fine  and  generous  spirit,  took 
the  deepest  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  institution, 
contributing  to  it  of  his  means,  his  time,  and  his  wise 
counsel.  Deservedly,  his  name  stands  high  m  the  roll 
of  the  College's  truest  friends. 

We  now  turn  to  the  more  internal  aspects  and  events 
of  President  Free's  administration. 

In  the  first  year  of  this  period,  a  number  of  import- 
ant changes  occurred  in  the  Faculty.  Mr.  Wenzlaff 
was  appointed  Professor  of  German  and  Philosophy, 


90  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

and  was  given  a  year's  leave  of  absence  for  study,  which 
he  spent  in  the  Universities  of  Berlin  and  Leipsic,  taking 
up  the  duties  of  his  Professorship  at  the  opening  of  the 
following  year.  Mr.  Thwing's  place  was  filled  by  the 
election  of  Wayland  S.  Axtell,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of 
Beloit  College,  as  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Physics. 
During  the  two  years  that  Professor  Axtell  held  the 
position,  he  proved  himself  a  strong  and  effective 
teacher.  Resigning  at  the  end  of  two  years,  he  died 
not  long  afterwards  of  consumption.  Stephen  Emery, 
B.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Boston  University,  was  chosen 
Principal  of  the  Academy,  and  entrusted  with  the  task 
of  inaugurating  the  new  policy  of  separation.  Mr. 
Emery,  however,  resigned  at  the  close  of  the  fall  term. 
The  position  was  filled  by  the  election  of  George  W. 
Nash,  B.  S.,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1891.  Mr.  Nash 
showed  remarkable  capacity  for  administrative  work, 
and  held  the  position  for  a  considerable  number  of 
years,  being  afterwards  appointed  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics and  Astronomy.  The  work  in  Latin  was  dar- 
ned on  by  Mr.  Bechtel  for  only  one  year.  Miss  Edith 
M.  Hall,  a  graduate  of  DePauw  University,  and  sister 
of  J.  F.  Hall,  was  appointed  Instructor  in  Latin,  after- 
wards receiving  the  Professorship.  Misses  Alice  M. 
Van  Ostrand  and  Mary  R.  McVay,  both  graduates  of 
the  Conservatory,  were  teachers  in  Music  for  the  year 
1892-3  and  the  following  year.  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Minott 
served  as  Preceptress,  and  Matron  of  Dakin  Hall,  dur- 
ing the  year  1892-3,  being  succeeded  by  Mrs.  Annetta 
T.  Stacy,  who  was  Matron  for  two  years. 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT   FREE     91 

In  the  year  1893-4,  there  were  comparatively  few 
Faculty  changes.  Professor  Swain  spent  the  year  in 
graduate  study  in  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  holding 
a  fellowship  in  Economics  in  that  institution.  Mr. 
J.  F.  Hall  had  been  appointed  Professor  of  Rhetoric 
and  English  Literature,  and  was  given  a  year's  leave 
of  absence  for  study.  Elmer  K.  Eyerly,  M.  A.,  who 
had  taught  a  number  of  years  in  Redfield  College,  was 
appointed  Instructor  in  English  and  History,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  year  was  made  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and 
English  Literature.  During  the  next  year,  he  was 
Acting  Principal  of  the  Academy,  in  the  absence  of  Mr. 
Nash.  Tracy  H.  Holmes,  B.  Ph.,  a  graduate  of  Beloit 
College,  was  appointed  Instructor  in  Chemistry  and 
Biology  —  a  position  which  he  held  for  two  years. 
Miss  Mabel  Riggs,  a  graduate  of  the  Conservatory,  was, 
for  the  year,  a  teacher  in  that  department. 

In  the  following  year,  also,  there  were  but  few  changes. 
Mr.  Nash  and  Miss  Kingsbury  were  absent  in  Europe, 
the  latter  studying  in  the  University  of  Paris  until  Jan- 
uary, 1896.  Rev.  Corliss  W.  Lay,  a  graduate  of  Knox 
College,  and  of  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  who 
had  previously  been  engaged  in  missionary  work  in 
India,  received  an  appointment  as  Secretary  of  the  Col- 
lege in  1893,  and  this  year  was  appointed  Instructor  in 
Biblical  Literature  and  Elocution.  Mr.  Lay  was  des- 
tined to  have  a  long  and  useful  period  of  service  with 
the  College,  holding  the  position  of  Secretary  until  the 
spring  of  1906.  During  all  those  years,  he  rendered 
effective  service,  by  his  careful  management  of.  the 


92  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

business  affairs  of  the  institution  and  his  watchful  over- 
sight of  buildings  and  grounds.  Miss  Elizabeth  Lear- 
oyd  served  as  Instructor  in  the  Academy;  and  Mrs. 
Albert  C.  Stauffer  became  Instructor  in  Vocal  Music 
in  the  Conservatory,  holding  the  position  for  three 
years. 

In  the  fall  of  1892,  there  was  founded  in  Charles  Mix 
County  an  institution  that  has  always  been  closely, 
although  unofficially,  connected  with  Yankton  College. 
I  refer  to  Ward  Academy,  which  was  named  after  Dr. 
Ward.  Its  founder  was  Rev.  Lewis  E.  Camfield,  who 
has  continued  to  be  the  Principal  and  main  supporter 
of  the  school.  Its  primary  purpose  was  to  give  the 
opportunity  to  the  young  people  of  a  new  community 
to  secure  a  good  academic  education,  under  religious 
influences;  secondarily,  it  was  to  serve  as  a  fitting  school 
for  the  few  who  might  feel  impelled  to  seek  a  college 
education,  the  expectation  being,  as  its  name  would 
suggest,  that  it  would  serve  mainly  as  a  feeder  to 
Yankton.  Nor  has  that  expectation  failed  of  realiza- 
tion; since  the  Freshman  class  of  the  College  usually 
contains  one  or  more  graduates  of  the  Academy,  who, 
as  a  rule,  reflect  honor  upon  their  school.  The  large 
measure  of  success  and  prosperity  that  has  attended 
the  Academy,  is  due  chiefly  to  the  self-sacrificing  devo- 
tion and  administrative  ability  of  Mr.  Camfield,  who, 
from  the  first,  has  served  also  as  pastor  of  the  local 
church.  For  a  considerable  number  of  years,  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Corporate  Board,  and  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  of  the  College. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  FREE     93 

In  October,  1892,  an  organization  was  started  known 
as  the  Science  and  Art  Association  of  Yankton  College. 
Its  membership  was  composed  of  members  of  the  Fac- 
ulty, of  students  of  the  two  highest  classes  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  of  citizens  of  the  town  who  might  desire  to 
join  such  a  body.  The  primary  object  was  to  stimu- 
late literary  and  scientific  interest  and  research  by  the 
preparation  of  papers,  to  be  read  to  the  Association  at 
its  monthly  meetings,  and  by  the  making  of  scientific 
collections.  Copies  of  all  papers  read  were  to  be  de- 
posited with  the  Secretary  of  the  Association.  The 
December  (1892)  issue  of  The  Student  reports  papers 
upon  the  following  subjects  as  having  been  already 
presented,  or  being  in  course  of  preparation:  The 
American  School  at  Athens;  The  Nebular  Hypothesis; 
Reports  upon  the  Recent  Study  of  Mars;  Theories 
Respecting  Comets,  Meteors  and  Meteorites;  the  Pub- 
lic Water  Supply  of  Yankton;  The  Younger  Pliny; 
Analysis  of  an  English  Masterpiece;  Relation  of  Optics 
to  Electrics;  History  of  the  South  Dakota  Movement 
for  Statehood;  Black  Hills  Geology,  and  others.  The 
Association  prolonged  its  existence  through  the  follow- 
ing year,  and  then  died  a  natural  death. 

At  the  opening  of  the  year  1894,  the  Yankton  College 
Christian  Association,  which  had  fostered  and  controlled 
the  distinctively  religious  activities  of  the  school  from 
its  very  beginning,  ceased  to  exist,  its  place  being  taken 
by  the  regular  Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's 
Christian  Associations.  The  hope  that  chiefly  led  to 
this  step,  namely:  that  the  religious  life  of  the  students 


94  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

might  be  quickened  and  broadened  by  the  connection 
with  the  general  organizations,  has  been  abundantly 
realized,  and  the  change  has  been  fully  justified  by  its 
results. 

Upon  the  opening  day  of  the  college  year  1894-5,  the 
newly  completed  Ward  Hall  of  Science  was  dedicated 
with  appropriate  ceremonies,  the  address  being  given 
by  Father  Nichols.  The  completion  of  this  building 
added  very  materially  to  the  equipment  of  the  institu- 
tion. A  substantial  brick  and  stone  structure,  built  at 
a  cost  of  $35,000,  exclusive  of  furnishing,  it  contains  in 
the  basement  and  on  the  first  floor  laboratories,  recita- 
tion-rooms, and  offices;  on  the  second  floor  are  addi- 
tional recitation  and  society-rooms,  and  a  commodious 
assembly-room,  seated  with  opera  chairs;  while  the  third 
floor  was,  for  a  time,  used  by  the  departments  of  Music 
and  of  Art,  but  is  now  devoted  exclusively  to  the  use  of 
the  former.  In  the  basement,  moreover,  is  a  room 
equipped  with  a  full  printing  outfit,  with  which  The 
Student  is  printed,  and  also  a  part  of  the  general  Col- 
lege printing.  This  work  is  done  by  students,  a  num- 
ber of  whom  are  thus  enabled  to  gain  a  practical 
acquaintance  with  the  printer's  art. 

In  the  fall  of  1894,  the  institution  experienced  its  first 
regular  football  season;  and  the  December  number  of 
The  Student  contains  some  sage  editorial  reflections 
upon  the  mingled  bane  and  blessing  of  that  much  dis- 
cussed college  sport. 

The  graduating  class  of  1895  is  noteworthy  for  a 
number  of  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  the  largest 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   PRESIDENT    FREE    95 

class  up  to  that  date,  consisting  of  five  young  men  and 
two  young  women.  Another  of  its  distinctions  is  the 
fact  that  it  was  the  first  class  to  wear  the  cap  and  gown. 
Again,  it  was  the  first  to  write  theses  in  place  of  the 
traditional  orations.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
thesis  subjects:  Edith  Marian  Caton,  Yankton,  The 
Physiological  Relations,  of  the  Spring  Phenogamous 
Plants  in  the  Vicinity  of  Yankton;  Elias  Fenn  Lyman, 
Armour,  Conditions  Favorable  to  the  Production  of 
Literature  in  South  Dakota;  David  J.  Perrin,  Armour, 
Irrigation:  South  Dakota's  Possibilities;  Arthur  Bart- 
ley  Rowell,  Momence,  Illinois,  Sidney  Lanier's 
" Science  of  English  Verse;"  Olive  Saunders,  Aten, 
Nebraska,  Economic  Aspects  of  the  Geology  of  South 
Dakota;  Frank  Frederick  Schaeffer,  Yankton,  Schiller 
as  a  Reformer  through  his  Poetry;  Albert  Lord  Wilcox, 
Yankton,  The  Characters  of  Shakespeare's  Othello. 
On  this  Commencement  occasion,  the  baccalaureate 
sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Julian  M.  Sturtevant, 
D.  D.,  of  Aurora,  Illinois;  and  the  Commencement 
address  was  delivered  by  .Rev.  S.  S.  Matthews,  of 
Chicago. 

Toward  the  close  of  this  college  year,  President  Free 
tendered  his  resignation,  to  take  effect  September  i. 
After  careful  consideration,  the  Trustees  decided  to 
offer  the  presidency  to  Rev.  Henry  K.  Warren,  at  that 
time  President  of  Salt  Lake  College.  President  War- 
ren accepted  the  position,  entering  upon  its  duties  at 
the  opening  of  the  year  1895-6. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   ADMINISTRATION    OF   PRESIDENT   WARREN: 
FIRST  PERIOD   (1895-1900) 

The  College  had  now  been  at  work  for  thirteen  years. 
At  the  beginning,  there  was  not  even  one  College  build- 
ing; the  Faculty  consisted  of  two  persons;  on  the  first 
day,  five  students  were  present;  endowment,  library, 
laboratories,  equipment  of  every  sort  had  existence  only 
in  the  prophetic  vision  of  one  man.  The  new  President 
assumed  the  leadership  of  an  institution  housed  in  four 
substantial,  sightly  structures,  with  a  faculty  of  four- 
teen, with  a  total  enrollment  of  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
one  students,  with  an  endowment  of  about  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  a  library  of  about  forty-six  hundred 
volumes,  and  roomy  laboratories,  in  the  equipment  of 
which  at  least  a  beginning  had  been  made.  Neverthe- 
less, though  such  gratifying  progress  had  been  made, 
gloomy  and  trying  days  were  still  to  be  experienced; 
and  it  is  due,  above  all  else,  to  the  tireless  energy,  the 
indomitable  perseverance,  and  the  marked  ability 
to  secure  the  interest  of  people  able  to  give,  exhibited  by 
President  Warren,  that  there  was  no  disastrous  halt  in 
the  development  of  the  institution;  that  the  superstruct- 
ure reared  upon  the  foundations  laid  so  broadly  and 
wisely  by  Dr.  Ward  has  continued  to  rise  aloft  steadily 
and  lastingly. 

96 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN    97 

Henry  Kimball  Warren  graduated  from  Olivet  Col- 
lege in  1882,  receiving  from  the  same  institution  the 
degree  of  M.  A.  in  1885,  and  of  LL.D.  in  1902.  For 
seven  years  after  his  graduation,  he  was  engaged  in 
public  school  work,  as  Principal  and  Superintendent. 
In  1889,  he  became  President  of  Gates  College,  located 
at  Neligh,  Nebraska  —  a  position  which  he  held  until 
1894.  During  the  year  1894-5,  he  was  President  of 
Salt  Lake  College,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  resigning  this  posi- 
tion to  accept  the  presidency  of  Yankton. 

President  Warren's  administration  will  be  divided, 
for  convenience  of  treatment,  into  two  periods,  the  first 
extending  from  the  beginning  of  the  college  year  1895-6 
to  the  end  of  the  year  1899-1900;  the  second,  from  the 
year  1900-1  to  the  present  time.  Moreover,  each  pe- 
riod will  be  considered  first  in  its  more  external,  and 
then,  in  its  more  internal,  aspects,  as  was  done  in  the 
case  of  President  Free's  administration. 

As  ever,  the  financial  problem  continued  to  furnish 
a  goodly  supply  of  difficulties.  Those  were  years  of 
drought  in  Dakota;  and  many  of  the  people  who  had 
given  notes,  in  aid  of  the  effort  to  meet  the  conditions 
of  Dr.  Pearsons'  offer,  found  themselves  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  paying  only  a  part,  or  none  at  all,  of  what 
they  had  pledged.  Moreover,  as  has  been  intimated 
before,  the  current  expenses  were  decidedly  in  excess 
of  the  income.  Consequently,  Mr.  Gray,  who  con- 
tinued to  hold  the  position  of  General  Treasurer,  aided 
by  Mrs.  Ward,  found  it  extremely  difficult,  indeed  im- 
possible, to  secure  the  necessary  means  for  meeting  the 


98  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

deficit,  to  say  nothing  of  adding  to  the  endowment.  Yet 
one  five  thousand  dollar  gift  was  received  the  first  year. 
In  the  following  year,  through  Mr.  Gray's  influence, 
Mrs.  Fiske,  of  Boston,  who  had  so  substantially  mani- 
fested her  interest  in  the  institution  before,  consented  to 
do  still  more,  contributing  fifteen  thousand  dollars  to 
complete  the  endowment  of  the  Greek  chair;  while  her 
sister-in-law,  Miss  Elizabeth  S.  Fiske,  gave  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars  as  an  endowment  for  a  chair  in 
Science.  These  gifts  were  both  subject  to  annuities 
during  the  life  of  the  donors.  Miss  Fiske  also  gave  one 
thousand  dollars,  afterwards  increased  to  thirteen  hun- 
dred dollars,  for  the  equipment  of  the  Biological  Lab- 
oratory. This  generous  friend  of  the  College  died  a 
few  years  ago;  while  Mrs.  Fiske  is  still  living  at  an 
advanced  age. 

Encouraging  as  were  these  forward  steps,  neverthe- 
less, it  was  decided  by  the  Trustees  that  it  would  be 
necessary  that  all  members  of  the  Faculty  should  con- 
tribute, for  the  coming  year,  one-sixth  of  the  amount 
of  their  salaries,  to  help  in  meeting  expenses.  Condi- 
tions remained  much  the  same  during  the  next  year, 
the  chief  item  of  encouragement  being  a  gift  of  one 
thousand  dollars  from  Dr.  E.  H.  Williams,  of  Philadel- 
phia. 

During  the  year  1898-9,  an  amendment  was  made  to 
the  by-laws  whereby  it  was  provided  that  the  maximum 
number  of  members  of  the  Corporate  Board  should  be 
sixty,  instead  of  fifty;  and  that,  instead  of  nine  Trus- 
tees elected  for  one  year,  there  should  be  twenty-one, 
seven  being  elected  each  year  to  serve  three  years. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN     99 

In  the  same  year,  light  broke  in  upon  the  gloom  of 
the  financial  situation.  For  reasons  that  have  been 
already  indicated,  another  heavy  debt  was  rapidly 
accumulated  —  so  rapidly,  in  fact,  that  it  now 
amounted  to  about  $25,000.  Dr.  Pearsons  again  came 
to  the  rescue,  promising  President  Warren  that  he 
would  give  to  the  College  the  sum  of  $30,000  for  en- 
dowment, provided  all  debts  should  be  paid  by  July  i, 
1900.  Furthermore,  he  imposed  the  condition  that  the 
current  expenses  of  the  institution  should  be  reduced 
to  $10,000  a  year  —  a  step  which  necessitated  a  slight 
decrease  in  the  number  of  teachers  and  a  decided  de- 
crease in  the  size  of  salaries.  However,  the  proposal 
was  accepted;  and  the  necessary  reductions  were  made. 
Thus  again,  after  a  five-years  breahting-spell,  those 
who  were  interested  in  the  College,  directed  all  their 
energies  toward  meeting  the  conditions  of  this  second 
generous  offer  of  Dr.  Pearsons. 

During  the  summer,  Dr.  Pearsons  proceeded  to  add  a 
still  more  powerful  stimulus  to  the  efforts  that  were 
being  made  to  secure  his  conditional  offer,  at  one  and 
the  same  time  increasing  the  amount  offered  from  $30,- 
ooo  to  $50,000  and  shortening  the  time  from  July  i, 
1900,  to  March  i,  of  the  same  year.  At  this  time,  the 
debt  amounted  to  nearly  $26,000,  while  nearly  $4000 
was  needed  in  addition  to  provide  for  the  deficit  that 
would  exist  by  March  i.  Thus,  the  sum  of  about  $30,- 
ooo  was  to  be  raised  in  less  than  six  months,  if  the 
splendid  possibility  was  to  be  realized.  Mr.  Gray  had 
already  resigned  his  position  as  General  Treasurer; 
and,  accordingly,  the  heavy  task  of  securing  so  large  a 


ioo  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

sum  in  so  short  a  time  fell  to  President  Warren. 
So  vigorously  and  skillfully  did  he  conduct  the  cam- 
paign; so  generously  did  students,  alumni,  and  friends 
of  the  College,  both  in  the  East  and  in  the  West,  re- 
spond, that  the  victory  was  won,  and  more  than  won, 
the  generous  sum  of  $55,000  being  added  to  the  per- 
manent resources,  after  every  debt  had  been  paid. 
This  splendid  outcome  of  the  struggle  was  celebrated 
by  the  students  with  bonfires,  the  blowing  of  horns, 
class  yells,  and  waving  of  colors.  After  the  bonfires  had 
subsided,  a  great  crowd  of  citizens  and  students  pro- 
ceeded to  Ward  Hall,  where  speeches  were  made  by 
Trustees,  citizens,  members  of  the  Faculty,  and  stu- 
dents. President  Warren's  speech  aroused  great  en- 
thusiasm, especially  among  the  students,  by  the  dec- 
laration that  the  next  object  of  attack  would  be  not  the 
payment  of  debts,  but  the  building  of  a  gymnasium.  A 
resolution  was  passed  by  the  Trustees  that,  thereafter, 
it  should  be  the  fixed  policy  of  the  institution  to  keep 
clear  of  debt;  and  that  the  utmost  efforts  should  be  put 
forth  to  close  each  year  without  a  single  dollar  of  in- 
debtedness. It  is  pleasant  to  record  that,  up  to  the 
present  time,  that  resolution  has  been  strictly  observed. 

We  turn  now  to  the  more  internal  interests  and  hap- 
penings of  the  first  five  years  of  President  Warren's 
administration. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  same  frequency  of  change 
in  the  personnel  of  the  Faculty  that  had  marked  the  past 
history  of  the  institution,  still  continued  —  a  state  of 
affairs  that  is  doubtless  a  common  feature  in  the  early 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  101 

period  of  the  existence  of  small  colleges.  Nevertheless, 
a  large  measure  of  stability  in  the  teaching  force,  result- 
ing in  continuity  of  methods,  spirit,  and  ideals,  is  greatly 
to  be  desired.  Professor  Swain  was  granted  a  year's 
leave  of  absence  for  the  purpose  of  further  graduate 
study,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  received  the  doctor's 
degree  from  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  Resigning 
his  position  in  the  College,  he  afterward  accepted  a 
professorship  in  the  State  Normal  College  of  Montana, 
of  which  institution  he  is  now  the  President.  The  work 
in  Economics  and  History  was  taken  by  President 
Warren.  George  A.  Clark,  M.  Ph.,  a  graduate  of  Hills- 
dale  College,  who  had  taken  graduate  work  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  was  elected  Professor  of  Natural 
Sciences.  Professor  Clark  has  continued  in  the  service 
of  the  College  up  to  the  present  time,  now  holding  the 
position  of  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physics.  The 
other  new  teachers  of  this  year  were  Miss  Mary  G. 
Kennedy,  Instructor  in  Drawing  and  Painting,  and  Miss 
Alice  L.  Talcott,  a  graduate  of  the  Conservatory,  who 
was  appointed  Instructor  in  Piano.  Miss  Hattie  Dib- 
ble occupied  the  position  of  Matron  for  the  year. 

In  the  following  year,  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  de- 
partment of  Latin,  through  the  resignation  of  Profes- 
sor Edith  M.  Hall,  who  gave  up  the  position  to  become 
the  wife  of  Rev.  R.  M.  Coate.  Her  place  was  filled  by 
the  appointment,  as  Instructor  in  Latin,  of  Rev.  Edwin" 
B.  Gushing,  M.A.,  a  graduate  of  Knox  College,  and  of 
the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary.  Mr.  Gushing 
remained  with  the  College  for  a  period  of  seven  years, 


102  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

receiving  the  Professorship  of  Latin  at  the  end  of  his 
second  year  of  service.  Miss  Jessie  L.  Clough  suc- 
ceeded Miss  Kennedy  as  Instructor  in  Drawing  and 
Painting;  Miss  Cora  E.  Westfall  took  the  place  of  Miss 
Talcott  as  Instructor  in  Piano,  and  Miss  Fannie  L. 
Smith  that  of  Miss  Dibble  as  Matron. 

In  the  succeeding  year  (1897-8),  changes  again  oc- 
curred in  the  Departments  of  Music  and  Art.  Miss 
M.  Lou  Ormsby  succeeded  Mrs.  Stauffer  as  Instructor 
in  Vocal  Music;  Mrs.  Franklin  L.  Stead,  who,  as  Miss 
Mabel  Riggs,  had  some  years  before  taught  one  year 
in  the  Conservatory,  became  Instructor  in  Piano  in 
place  of  Miss  Talcott;  while  Miss  Ada  D.  Cal dwell 
succeeded  Miss  Clough  as  Instructor  in  Drawing  and 
Painting.  Two  new  lines  of  work  were  added  at  the 
beginning  of  this  year,  namely :  Elocution  and  Physical 
Training.  Miss  Rachel  M.  Axford  became  Instructor 
in  Elocution,  and  Miss  Nina  B.  Lamkin,  Director  of 
Physical  Training  for  Young  Women. 

For  the  next  year,  the  changes  were  confined  to  the 
Conservatory.  The  Director,  Professor  F.  L.  Stead, 
was  granted  a  year's  leave  of  absence,  his  place  being 
temporarily  filled  by  the  new  Instructor  in  Vocal  Music, 
Miss  Mannetta  F.  Marsh.  Miss  Talcott  again  returned, 
taking  the  position  of  Instructor  in  Piano  and  Har- 
mony; while  Miss  Bertha  L.  Felber,  also  a  graduate  of 
the  Conservatory,  became  Instructor  in  Piano,  Pipe 
Organ,  and  Theory  of  Music. 

In  1899-1900,  Faculty  changes  were  again  numerous. 
Professor  Wenzlaff,  in  the  course  of  the  year,  resigned 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN   103 

the  Professorship  of  German  and  Philosophy;  Profes- 
sor Eyerly,  at  the  close  of  the  preceding  year,  that  of 
Rhetoric  and  English,  and  Professor  Stead,  the  Direct- 
orship of  the  Conservatory  and  the  Professorship  of 
Music.  The  work  in  Philosophy  was  taken  by  Pro- 
fessor McMurtry;  that  in  German,  by  Miss  Ethel  C. 
Washburn.  Mrs.  Marie  Wenzlaff  Lawton,  a  member 
of  the  class  of  1891,  was  appointed  Instructor  in  Eng- 
lish Literature.  Mr.  Judson  W.  Mather  was  elected 
Professor  of  Music,  and  Director  of  the  Conservatory, 
his  wife,  Mrs.  Gertrude  F.  Mather,  becoming  Instruct- 
or in  Violin.  Work  in  Shorthand  and  Typewriting 
was  provided,  for  the  first  time,  this  year,  Mr.  Richard 
F.  Marwood  becoming  Instructor  in  those  subjects. 
Another  innovation  introduced  this  year  was  a  system 
whereby  a  student  who  displayed  distinguished  excel- 
lence in  any  one  of  a  certain  number  of  subjects,  was 
appointed  Assistant  in  that  subject,  rendering  more  or 
less  aid  to  the  teacher  thereof.  Accordingly,  the  follow- 
ing Assistants  appear  in  the  Faculty  list  for  this  year: 
Alice  Anne  Flanagan,  in  Latin;  Reuben  Harlan  Os- 
good,  in  Science;  Amelia  Buell  Curtis,  in  Mathematics. 
With  the  opening  of  the  year  1896-7,  some  important 
changes  were  made  in  the  courses  of  study.  To  the  old 
Classical  and  Scientific  Courses,  a  new  one,  designated 
as  the  Philosophical  Course,  was  added.  In  this 
course,  prominence  was  to  be  given  to  modern  languages 
and  literatures,  as  in  the  Classical  Course,  it  was  given 
to  the  Classical  languages  and  literatures,  and  in  the 
Scientific  Course,  to  the  sciences.  Hitherto,  the  courses 


104  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

had  been  of  the  traditional  type,  according  to  which 
everything  was  prescribed  and  required.  By  the  new 
scheme,  a  good  beginning  was  made  in  the  introduction 
of  the  elective  system,  which,  by  that  time,  had  become 
an  established  feature  of  courses  of  study  in  the  more 
progressive  colleges  and  universities  of  the  country. 
All  the  studies  of  the  Freshman  year  were  still  required; 
but,  beginning  with  the  Sophomore  year,  a  limited 
range  of  choice  was  made  possible,  increasing  in  extent 
with  each  of  the  remaining  years.  This  step  in  advance, 
making  it  possible  for  the  student  to  follow,  in  a  meas- 
ure, his  special  mental  aptitudes  and  liking,  and  also 
his  plans  as  to  his  future  life-work,  received  a  hearty 
and  universal  welcome  from  the  students.  A  further 
improvement  was  the  announcement  of  a  carefully 
considered  plan  prescribing  the  methods  by  which  grad- 
uates of  the  College  might  secure  the  Master's  degree. 
According  to  this  plan,  a  graduate  might  obtain  his 
Master's  degree  by  the  successful  completion  either  of 
a  three-years  course  in  a  professional  school  or  of  a 
postgraduate  course  of  study  approved  by  the  Faculty 
and  equivalent  to  the  work  of  one  collegiate  year,  to  be 
supplemented,  in  either  case,  by  the  preparation  of  a 
satisfactory  thesis.  A  considerable  number  of  the 
Alumni  have  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to 
get  the  higher  degree,  especially  those  who  have  taken 
professional  courses. 

The  vastly  increased  part  that  Athletics  had  now 
come  to  play  in  American  college  life  in  general  and  in 
Yankton  in  particular,  received  recognition  in  the  fact 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  105 

that  a  lease  for  five  years  of  sufficient  land  to  form  an 
excellent  athletic  park,  located  in  close  vicinity  to  the 
College,  was  generously  given  by  two  citizens  of  Yank- 
ton  —  Mr.  Fred  Schnauber  and  Hon.  Bartlett  Tripp. 
The  State  Intercollegiate  Athletic  Association,  which 
was  organized  in  1888,  existed  for  only  three  years. 
However,  in  the  spring  of  1894,  the  present  Intercolle- 
giate Association  was  formed.  In  the  year  1896,  the 
Intercollegiate<Contests  in  both  Oratory  and  Athletics 
were  held  in  Yankton.  Yankton's  orator,  William  F. 
Ewert,  was  given  second  place;  but  afterwards,  on  the 
ground  that  the  winner  of  first  place  had  used  unfair 
means  in  preparation,  he  was  awarded  the  first  place. 
In  Athletics,  also,  Yankton  secured  first  place,  winning 
as  many  points  as  her  two  closest  competitors  together. 

At  that  time,  a  new  interest  in  the  work  of  Foreign 
Missions  manifested  itself  among  the  College  Young 
Men's  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations, 
through  the  formation  of  Volunteer  Bands,  composed 
of  students  who  planned,  if  opportunity  permitted,  to 
devote  themselves  to  that  work.  Such  a  band  was  or- 
ganized at  Yankton,  with  a  membership  of  seven.  As 
a  result  of  the  interest  thus  aroused  and  cherished,  one 
graduate  of  the  College  —  Miss  Agnes  Fenenga,  of  the 
class  of  1901  —  went  as  a  missionary  to  Turkey. 
Moreover,  delegates  were  sent  by  the  Associations  of 
the  College  to  the  international  conventions  of  the  Vol- 
unteer Movement,  held  at  Toronto  in  1902,  and  later 
at  Nashville. 

At  Commencement  of  that  year  (1896),  a  new  feature 


106  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

was  added,  which  has  been  maintained  to  the  present 
time,  namely:  the  Collation,  an  informal  banquet  par- 
ticipated in  by  the  members  of  the  Corporation  and 
Trustees,  the  Faculty,  the  Alumni,  the  graduating 
classes  and  their  friends,  and  whatever  friends  of  the 
College  wish  to  be  present.  After  the  simple  repast 
is  disposed  of,  according  to  custom  a  number  of  toasts, 
centering  about  the  College  and  its  various  interests, 
are  given. 

The  fact  has  already  been  mentioned  that,  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  year  1897-8,  an  important  step  in  advance 
was  taken,  by  the  addition  of  Physical  Training  for 
young  women,  and  the  employment  of  a  teacher  of  this 
subject.  The  credit  for  this  forward  movement  is  due 
to  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  Their 
committee  on  Physical  Training  took  hold  of  the  pro- 
ject of  securing  means  for  engaging  an  instructor,  and 
even  became  ambitious  enough  to  plan  for  the  building 
of  a  gymnasium  for  young  women.  Though  this  plan 
failed  of  realization,  yet  they  accomplished  much,  both 
directly  and  indirectly,  for  the  promotion  of  an  interest 
in,  and  knowledge  of,  scientific  Physical  Training.  By 
means  of  the  gifts  of  Eastern  friends,  and  the  aid  of  the 
ladies  of  Yankton  in  carrying  through  entertainments, 
funds  were  secured  for  paying  the  expenses  of  the  work ; 
and  it  continued  under  the  auspices  of  the  Association 
for  a  number  of  years.  Afterwards,  the  responsibility 
was  assumed  by  the  College. 

That  year  is  especially  memorable  in  the  history  of 
the  College,  because  of  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  107 

War,  which  involved  the  withdrawal  of  a  number  of 
students  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  military  service. 
To  many,  those  days  and  weeks  and  months  brought 
a  new  and  vivid  realization  of  the  experiences  through 
which  the  colleges  of  the  country  passed  in  the  trying 
times  of  the  Civil  War;  when  their  halls  were  nearly 
emptied  of  students  by  the  stirring  call  to  arms.  In 
April,  the  South  Dakota  regiment  of  militia  received 
orders  to  prepare  for  service  in  the  field,  the  general 
impression  being  that  they  would  be  sent  to  Cuba. 
Their  destination,  however,  finally  proved  to  be  the 
Philippines.  Company  C  of  the  regiment  was  from 
Yankton;  and  its  Captain  was  William  S.  Gray,  a  son 
of  Rev.  W.  B.  D.  Gray  and  a  member  of  the  Senior 
class.  By  request  of  his  class,  he  was  granted  his  di- 
ploma at  the  Commencement  that  so  soon  followed. 
Sergeants  Maurice  L.  Blatt  and  Frank  B.  Stevens  were 
also  students,  as  well  as  Corporal  Thomas  O'Gara 
and  Privates  Irving  Melzner,  Charles  K.  Prouty,  and 
Homer  W.  Stevens.  Other  officers  and  privates  of  the 
company  and  also  of  other  companies  had  been  students 
in  past  years.  Naturally,  everybody  connected  with 
the  College  followed  with  keen  interest  the  fortunes  of 
the  regiment.  One  member  of  it,  who  had  been  form- 
erly a  student  of  the  Academy  —  Samuel  E.  Frazee  — 
died  in  camp  at  San  Francisco,  on  the  outward  journey. 
Charles  K.  Prouty  also  died,  of  typhoid  fever,  in  the 
Philippines.  These  were  the  only  deaths  among  those 
who  had  been  connected  with  the  College. 

In  June  of  that  year,  there  appeared  a  modest  little 


io8  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

volume,  entitled  "A  Book  of  Dakota  Rhymes,"  with 
the  following  dedication:  "To  our  Alma  Mater,  Yank- 
ton  College,  this  volume  is  affectionately  dedicated. " 
The  editors  were  B.  W.  Burleigh  and  G.  G.  Wenzlaff, 
both  members  of  the  class  of  1888,  the  second  to  grad- 
uate. The  book  contained  a  very  creditable  collection 
of  short  poems  written  by  the  editors  and  a  consider- 
able number  of  other  persons,  who  were  either  at  that 
time  residents  of  South  Dakota,  or  had  been  previously. 
Besides  the  editors,  a  number  of  other  contributors  had 
more  or  less  close  connection  with  the  College.  In 
later  years,  two  new  editions  have  appeared. 

In  the  November  issue  of  The  Student  is  an  editorial 
summing  up  the  football  results  for  the  season.  It 
displays  a  spirit  of  fairness  and  of  opposition  to  pro- 
fessionalism that  has  been  almost  invariably  charac- 
teristic of  Yankton's  attitude  in  Athletics.  I  quote  a 
few  sentences  from  it: 

"The  season  of  1898  in  this  State  has  marked  a  great 
advance  in  football.  Not  only  has  there  been  a  much 
better  game  played,  but  there  have  been  more  teams. 
As  to  the  relative  merits  of  the  different  teams,  we  are 
satisfied  that  Dakota  University  has  the  best  team  in  the 
State.  It  is  no  more  than  fair  to  say  that  the  Mitchell 
team  outclasses  the  other  teams  in  weight  and  also  in 
knowledge  of  the  game.  The  future  of  the  game  in  this 
State  is  indeed  promising.  Each  of  the  leading  insti- 
tutions has  become  enthusiastic  over  the  sport;  and 
we  feel  confident  that  henceforth  the  game  will  thrive. 
The  next  move  must  be  to  place  football  on  a  clean 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  109 

amateur  basis.  We  must  free  South  Dakota  Athletics 
from  every  taint  of  professionalism.  We  regret  that 
many  of  the  leading  colleges  do  not  seem  to  regard  pro- 
fessionalism in  the  same  light  as  does  Yankton." 
•  From  the  very  beginning,  the  College  has  regularly 
observed  the  day  called  "The  Day  of  Prayer  for  Col- 
leges"—  a  custom  which  is  common  to  a  large  number 
of  colleges  and  universities  throughout  the  country. 
On  this  day,  the  usual  College  exercises  are  omitted; 
and  the  fullest  opportunity  and  encouragement  are 
given  to  students  to  devote  their  undivided  attention, 
for  a  day,  to  spiritual  interests  and  possibilities.  Some 
prominent  clergyman,  endowed  with  the  power  of  inter- 
esting and  helpfully  influencing  students,  is  usually 
invited  to  come  and  address  the  assembled  school. 
The  day  was  unusually  impressive  and  helpful  in  the 
winter  of  1899,  because  of  the  presence  of  Professor 
Graham  Taylor,  of  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 
but  far  more  widely  known  for  his  great  work  in  con- 
nection with  the  Chicago  social  settlement  known  as 
"The  Commons."  A  deep  interest  was  aroused  by 
Professor  Taylor's  pleas  for  the  laying  of  a  greater  em- 
phasis upon  the  social  aspects  of  Christianity. 

It  was  a  notable  day  for  the  State,  for  Yankton,  and 
the  College,  that  witnessed  the  return  from  the  far-off 
Philippines,  after  more  than  a  year's  absence,  of  the 
South  Dakota  regiment.  The  day  was  Saturday,  Sep- 
tember 14, 1899.  President  McKinley,  accompanied  by 
various  members  of  his  cabinet,  was  in  the  State  to  wel- 
come the  returning  soldiers.  Arriving  at  Yankton  late 


no  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

at  night,  he  addressed  a  great  crowd  of  people,  who  had 
patiently  awaited  his  arrival.  Company  C,  however, 
did  not  reach  Yankton  until  4:45,  Sunday  morning. 
Yet,  many  waited  through  the  long  hours  of  the  night, 
until  they  came.  A  few  of  those  who  had  been  students 
in  the  College,  previous  to  their  departure  for  the  Philip- 
pines, immediately  resumed  their  studies. 

In  January,  1900,  Mr.  A.  W.  Westhorpe,  a  former 
student  of  the  College,  who  was  strongly  interested  in 
Numismatics,  showed  his  continued  interest  in  the 
institution,  by  the  gift  of  a  fine  collection  of  one  hun- 
dred coins,  largely  ancient.  Mr.  Westhorpe  is  still  a 
resident  of  Yankton,  and  continues  to  manifest  his  old- 
time  interest  both  in  Numismatics  and  in  the  College 
by  making  fresh  additions  to  the  collection. 

In  March,  of  the  same  year,  the  State  Convention  of 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  was  held  at  the 
College,  with  fifty-nine  delegates  present  from  the  other 
colleges  of  the  State  —  the  largest  attendance  yet  at- 
tained. The  reports  showed  advancement  in  every 
line  of  work;  and,  at  this  convention,  a  step  forward 
was  taken  by  the  choice  of  a  State  Secretary  —  Mr. 
C.  C.  Caldwell,  of  the  State  University. 

Professor  Mather,  the  new  Director  of  the  Conser- 
vatory, displayed  characteristic  energy  by  introducing 
a  new  element  into  the  musical  work  and  life  of  the 
institution,  namely :  the  May  Festival  of  Music,  which 
has  ever  since  continued  to  be  one  of  the  marked  fea- 
tures of  the  closing  weeks  of  the  College  year.  The 
general  plan  that  has  been  followed  from  the  first,  com- 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  in 

prises  a  series  of  musical  entertainments,  occupying 
the  evenings  and,  to  some  extent,  the  afternoons  of 
three  days.  These  entertainments  are,  in  part,  fur- 
nished by  outside  artists;  but  the  crowning  event  of  the 
Festival  has  been  the  rendition  by  the  local  Choral 
Union,  aided  by  soloists  from  outside,  of  some  great 
work  of  musical  art.  In  the  first  Festival,  the  work 
chosen  was  Gade's  Crusaders.  In  the  following  year, 
Gounod's  Redemption  was  given. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN: 
SECOND  PERIOD  (1900—) 

,  We  have  now  arrived  at  the  second  period  of  Presi- 
dent Warren's  administration,  extending  from  the  open- 
ing of  the  college  year  1900-1  to  the  present  time.  This 
period,  also,  will  be  treated  from  the  double  stand- 
point of  the  more  external,  and  the  more  internal,  hap- 
penings. We  now  direct  our  attention  to  the  former. 

It  will  be  remembered  that,  as  a  result  of  Dr.  Pear- 
sons' conditional  offer  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
strenuous  and  successful  efforts  of  President  Warren, 
backed  by  the  generosity  of  friends  of  the  institution, 
both  East  and  West,  the  College  entered  upon  this 
final  period  of  the  first  quarter-century  of  its  existence 
in  a  much  more  satisfactory  financial  condition,  with 
the  permanent  endowment  substantially  increased, 
with  freedom  from  debt,  and  a  strong  determination  to 
continue  steadfastly  in  that  comfortable  condition. 
The  year  1900-1  was  an  auspicious  commencement  of 
the  new  policy.  At  the  close  of  the  year,  Secretary  Lay 
was  able  to  report  that  the  permanent  resources  had 
increased  over  $5000.  Over  $4000  had  been  contrib- 
uted for  current  expenses;  so  that  the  year  closed  with 
entire  freedom  from  debt. 

The  securing  of  additional  funds  for  the  construction 

112 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  113 

of  a  gymnasium  made  it  possible  to  proceed  to  the  reali- 
zation of  this  much  desired  step  in  advance  early  in  the 
following  year.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  on  Novem- 
ber 16,  1901,  the  exercises  including  an  address  on  the 
Physical  Side  of  Education  by  Mr.  R.  J.  Wells,  of 
Sioux  Falls.  The  building  is  a  brick-veneered  struct- 
ure, seventy-six  by  forty-six  feet,  consisting  of  a  base- 
ment and  main  story.  At  the  opening  of  the  winter 
term,  it  was  sufficiently  near  completion  to  enable  it  to 
be  used  for  the  work  in  Physical  Training.  Before  the 
year  closed,  an  unknown  friend  of  the  College  pre- 
sented the  entire  amount  —  nearly  $12,000  —  required 
to  pay  for  the  construction  and  complete  equipment  of 
the  building.  By  this  generous  gift,  the  amount  al- 
ready secured  for  construction  was  set  free,  to  be  used 
in  other  directions.  Another  gift  of  $5000,  doubtless 
from  the  same  unknown  source  as  the  other,  made  it 
possible  to  purchase  five  acres  of  land,  immediately 
adjoining  the  Gymnasium  on  the  north,  and  to  trans- 
form it  into  a  splendid  athletic  park,  surrounded  by  a 
strong  wire  fence,  and  furnished  with  a  substantially 
built  grandstand,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  five  hundred. 
During  this  year,  including  these  two  gifts,  and  $4500 
in  endowments,  an  addition  of  $23,500  was  made  to 
the  permanent  resources. 

During  the  year  1902-3,  a  Yankton  enterprise  was 
inaugurated,  the  success  of  which  possessed  a  strong, 
even  if  indirect,  interest  for  the  College,  namely:  the 
erection  of  a  new  Congregational  church  building. 
From  the  first,  there  had,  naturally,  been  a  very  close 


ii4  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

bond  of  connection  between  the  local  Congregational 
church  and  the  Congregational  college  of  the  State. 
Dr.  Ward  came  to  Yankton  as  the  minister  of  this 
church,  resigning  its  pastorate  in  order  to  accept  the 
presidency  of  the  College.  Both  at  the  beginning  and 
throughout  the  later  years,  the  people  of  the  church  had 
given  generously  for  the  support  and  development  of 
the  College.  Always,  the  attitude  of  the  institution  had 
been  positively,  yet  broadly,  Christian,  but  absolutely 
unsectarian;  and  among  its  students  were  to  be  found 
attendants  upon  all  the  leading  churches,  including 
the  Catholic.  Nevertheless,  it  was  inevitable  that  the 
majority  of  the  students  and  teachers  should  be  affil- 
iated with  the  local  church  of  the  denomination  under 
the  auspices  of  which  it  was  founded,  and  its  work 
carried  on,  and  to  the  churches  of  which  it  looked 
mainly  for  students.  It  was  natural,  then,  that  the 
effort  entered  upon  in  that  year  to  add  largely  to  the 
effectiveness  and  attractiveness  of  the  work  of  the 
church,  should  enlist  the  warm  interest  and  hearty 
co-operation  of  those  directly  connected  with  the  Col- 
lege, whether  as  teachers  or  students.  As  is  usually 
the  case  in  connection  with  such  movements,  success 
was  attained  only  through  strenuous  effort.  Thanks, 
however,  to  the  aggressive  leadership  of  Rev.  Bernard 
G.  Mattson,  the  able  and  cultured  pastor  of  the  church 
at  that  time,  a  satisfactory  outcome  was  finally  secured. 
At  a  time  when  the  effort  seemed  to  be  hanging  in  the 
balance,  and  threatening  to  collapse,  the  Trustees, 
urged  on  by  President  Warren,  expressed  their  sense 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  115 

of  how  deeply  the  College  was  concerned  in  the  inter- 
ests at  stake,  by  voting  that  a  pledge  of  $1000  should  be 
made  by  the  institution,  in  addition  to  the  numerous 
individual  pledges  that  had  been  made  by  teachers  and 
students. 

Toward  the  close  of  this  college  year,  it  was  arranged 
that  the  Ward  residence  should  be  resold  to  Mrs.  Ward; 
and  that  a  large  brick  house,  located  on  Douglas 
Avenue,  directly  opposite  the  College,  should  be  pur- 
chased and  fitted  up  for  use  as  the  President's  resi- 
dence. 

Again,  for  a  third  time,  Dr.  Pearsons  manifested  his 
interest  in  the  College  by  making,  through  President 
Warren,  another  conditional  offer  of  a  $50,000  gift. 
The  condition  imposed  was  that  the  same  amount 
should  be  raised  by  the  next  Thanksgiving.  More- 
over, Dr.  Pearsons  was  to  be  paid  a  two  per  cent  annu- 
ity during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Everyone  realized 
that  it  would  be  a  matter  of  extreme  difficulty  to  make, 
for  the  third  time,  so  large  a  demand  upon  the  gener- 
osity of  the  friends  of  the  institution.  Nevertheless,  it 
was  felt  that  the  utmost  effort  must  be  put  forth  to 
secure  so  substantial  an  addition  to  the  permanent 
resources. 

During  the  following  college  year  (1903-4),  Presi- 
dent Warren  was  devoting  all  his  energies  to  the  effort 
to  secure,  within  the  State  and  in  the  East,  the  necessary 
amount.  When  it  became  evident  that  there  was  no 
hope  of  achieving  success  as  early  as  Thanksgiving, 
Dr.  Pearsons  extended  the  time  until  the  following 


n6  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

spring.  Although  this  struggle  was  destined  to  be  a 
long-continued  and  trying  one,  yet  there  was  not  a 
total  lack  of  encouraging  incidents  during  its  contin- 
uance. Early  in  February,  the  cheering  news  came 
from  President  Warren  that,  with  the  aid  of  Lyman 
Abbott  and  Albert  T.  Shaw,  editor  of  the  Review  of 
Reviews,  he  had  succeeded  in  persuading  Mr.  Carnegie 
to  donate  $15,000  for  the  construction  of  a  library 
building.  This  amount  Mr.  Carnegie  afterwards  in- 
creased to  $17,000. 

In  March  of  that  year,  occurred  the  death  of  one  of 
the  most  useful  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  — 
Mr.  Hugh  S.  Gamble.  Mr.  Gamble  was  one  of  that 
group  of  Yankton  citizens,  including  Messrs.  E.  P.  Wil- 
cox,  E.  Miner,  H.  H.  Smith,  J.  C.  McVay,  R.  J.  Gam- 
ble, Bartlett  Tripp,  C.  H.  Dillon,  and  others,  who  have 
expressed  their  appreciation  of  the  worth  of  the  Col- 
lege to  the  City  and  the  State  by  giving  largely  of  their 
means,  their  time,  and  their  business  and  professional 
judgment,  for  the  promotion  of  its  interests.  To  them 
and  to  their  associates,  the  institution  owes  a  large  debt 
of  gratitude,  which  it  can  only  repay  by  fidelity  to  the 
largest  and  most  helpful  ideals. 

The  year  1904-5  witnessed  a  continuation  of  the  effort 
to  secure  Dr.  Pearsons'  gift  by  meeting  the  conditions. 
The  time  was  finally  extended  to  May  i,  1906.  Al- 
though progress  was  being  slowly  made  through  Presi- 
dent Warren's  untiring  efforts,  yet,  each  year  the  gap 
between  income  and  current  expenses,  which  had  to  be 
filled  by  gifts  in  order  to  close  the  year  without  debt, 
constituted  a  very  serious  obstacle. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  117 

In  May  of  this  year,  the  meeting  of  the  State  Asso- 
ciation of  Congregational  Churches  was  held  in  Yank- 
ton;  and  in  connection  therewith,  the  new  church  build- 
ing, now  completed  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $30,000,  was 
dedicated.  The  occasion  was  one  of  much  interest  to 
all  connected  with  the  church  and  College.  Dr.  D.  F. 
Bradley  and  Dr.  E.  M.  Williams,  former  pastors  of  the 
church,  both  of  whom  had  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  College,  were  present  and  delivered  ad- 
dresses. Dr.  Washington  Gladden  also  gave  an  ad- 
dress. Another  speaker,  who  was  listened  to  with 
much  interest,  was  Rev.  George  D.  Wilder,  a  student 
of  the  College  in  early  days,  who  had  become  a  well- 
known  missionary  in  China.  Mr.  Wilder  completed 
his  Sophomore  year  at  Yankton,  where  his  mother  was 
Preceptress  and  Instructor  in  German;  whereupon,  he 
went  to  Oberlin  and  completed  his  course  there,  after- 
wards taking  his  theological  course  at  Oberlin  and  Yale. 
He  then  received  from  the  American  Board  an  appoint- 
ment as  missionary  in  China,  where  he  has  done  note- 
worthy service.  Mr.  Wilder  is  a  cousin  of  Professor 
G.  H.  Durand,  of  the  College,  whose  younger  brother 
—  Edward  Dana  Durand  —  was  a  brilliant  student  in 
the  Preparatory  Department  during  the  year  1888-9, 
at  the  close  of  which  he  accompanied  Mr.  Wilder  to 
Oberlin,  where  he  graduated.  Afterward,  he  secured 
the  doctor's  degree  at  Cornell  University,  and  later  was 
appointed  to  professorships  at  Stanford  University  and 
at  Harvard.  The  latter  position  he  resigned  to  accept 
an  appointment  with  the  Industrial  Commission;  and, 
at  present,  he  is  Deputy  Commissioner  of  the  Bureau 


n8  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

of  Corporations,  with  which  he  has  been  connected 
since  the  time  of  its  organization. 

In  the  course  of  that  spring,  a  number  of  improve- 
ments were  carried  out.  Two  sightly  cottages  were 
built  for  renting,  on  lots  belonging  to  the  College  and 
adjoining  the  Campus.  One  of  these  cottages  has  been 
the  home  of  Rev.  E.  W.  Jenney,  who  has  been  en- 
gaged in  evangelistic  work  among  the  Congregational 
churches  of  the  State,  and  one  of  whose  daughters  is  an 
Instructor  in  the  College.  Moreover,  the  dilapidated 
wooden  sidewalks  on  the  two  streets  approaching  the 
College  from  the  Town,  and  also  those  on  the  Campus 
were  replaced  by  cement  walks,  adding  much  to  the 
appearance  of  the  College  grounds. 

When  the  time  last  set  for  meeting  Dr.  Pearsons' 
conditions  —  May  i,  1906  —  approached,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  full  amount  required  could  not  be  secured. 
Accordingly,  Dr.  Pearsons  consented  to  give  $30,000 
in  addition  to  an  equal  amount  that  had  been  raised. 
Although  there  was  disappointment  at  the  failure  to 
add  the  full  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the  endow- 
ment, yet  it  was  realized  that  sixty  thousand  was  a  sum 
by  no  means  to  be  despised.  In  truth,  President  War- 
ren's invincible  perseverance  had  been  rewarded  with 
larger  returns  than  appeared  on  the  surface.  During 
the  three-years  campaign,  a  total  of  about  $i  20,000  was 
received,  including  the  $30,000  given  by  Dr.  Pearsons. 
Of  this  amount,  a  little  more  than  $30,000  was  used  in 
meeting  the  shortages- in- current  expenses  incurred  dur- 
ing the  three  years. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  119 

Mr.  C.  W.  Lay,  who  had,  for  a  period  of  thirteen 
years,  discharged  the  duties  of  Secretary  of  the  College 
with  great  efficiency,  resigned  the  position  on  June  i, 
1906.  His  large  and  pleasant  residence,  with  its  beau- 
tiful tree-shaded  lawn,  immediately  adjoining  the 
Campus  on  the  east,  was  purchased  by  the  College,  to 
serve  as  an  additional  home  for  young  women;  inas- 
much as  Dakin  Hall  no  longer  furnished  sufficient  room 
to  accommodate  all.  During  the  present  year,  accord- 
ingly, Lay  Cottage,  as  it  is  designated,  has  been  the 
pleasant  home  of  a  considerable  number  of  young 
women  and  some  of  the  lady  teachers. 

Early  in  April  of  this  year,  Governor  Crawford,  at 
the  suggestion  of  President  Warren,  called  a  meeting 
at  Yankton  of  representatives  of  the  various  educa- 
tional, penal,  reformatory,  and  charitable  institutions 
of  the  State,  to  consider  the  interests  of  the  criminal, 
defective,  and  dependent  classes  and  to  form  a  perma- 
nent organization  for  that  purpose,  if  it  should  seem 
desirable.  The  Governor  was  present  in  person,  as 
well  as  officials  of  the  State  institutions,  and  of  similar 
institutions  in  adjoining  states.  Moreover,  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Johnson,  of  Indianapolis,  the  Secretary  of  the 
National  Association  of  Charities  and  Correction,  was 
present;  and  one  of  the  most  important  results  of  the 
meeting  was  the  organization  of  a  State  Association, 
in  affiliation  with  the  National  organization.  Dr.  War- 
ren was  elected  President  of  the  body.  Numerous 
well-attended  and  interesting  sessions  were  held  in  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  at  the  College,  and  the 


120  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

State  Hospital  for  the  Insane.  In  every  way,  the  meet- 
ing was  a  successful  one,  and  is  thought  to  mark  an 
important  step  forward  in  the  history  of  the  State. 

We  now  turn  to  the  internal  events  of  the  years  from 
1900-1  onward. 

In  the  first  year  of  this  period,  Miss  Kingsbury  was 
again  away  on  leave  of  absence,  spending  the  time  in 
study  in  France  and  Germany,  with  the  special  aim  of 
fitting  herself  for  the  teaching  of  German  in  addition 
to  French.  On  her  return,  she  assumed  the  position 
of  Professor  of  French  and  German,  which  she  has  held 
up  to  the  present  time.  Miss  Alice  Flanagan,  of  the 
class  of  1900,  had  the  work  in  French  until  January 
i,  when  it  was  taken  by  Miss  Washburn,  the  Instruct- 
or in  German.  Mrs.  Edith  Hall  Coate,  who,  before  her 
marriage,  had  been  Instructor  and  Professor  of  Latin, 
served  as  Preceptress  in  charge  of  Dakin  Hall  during 
the  year.  Miss  Ruth  L.  Moody  was  Instructor  in 
Drawing  and  Painting;  Miss  L.  Olivia  Everhard,  Di- 
rector of  Physical  Training,  and  Miss  Cora  A.  Pollock, 
Instructor  in  Voice  Culture  and  History  of  Music. 
Reuben  Harlan  Osgood  was  Student  Assistant  in 
Biology,  and  Carl  Lyman  Willis,  in  Latin. 

In  1901-2,  George  Harrison  Durand,  M.  A.,  a  grad- 
uate of  Oberlin  and  of  Harvard,  wfio,  in  the  early  days, 
was  a  student  in  the  Preparatory  Department,  became 
Professor  of  English  —  a  position  which  he  still  holds. 
Flora  Bridges,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Oberlin,  who  had 
taken  graduate  work  in  the  University  of  Zurich  and 
of  Chicago,  was  appointed  Preceptress  and  Instructor 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  121 

in  English,  later  in  Greek  and  English.  Miss  Anna 
B.  Waterman  was  Instructor  in  Voice  and  History  of 
Music;  Miss  Cora  B.  Gould,  in  Drawing  and  Painting; 
Mr.  Mervin  C.  Sherwood,  in  Shorthand  and  Type- 
writing, and  Miss  Grace  H.  Belknap,  in  Kindergarten 
Music  and  Piano.  The  Student  Assistants  were  Ray- 
mond Benedict  McClenon,  in  Mathematics;  Fritz 
Albert  Brink,  in  Chemistry;  Hugh  Case  Leibee,  in 
Biology;  Carolyn  Mae  Robison,  in  Latin.  Mrs.  Hattie 
Tanzy,  who,  as  Miss  Hattie  Dibble,  had  before  held 
the  position,  succeeded  Miss  Smith  as  Matron. 

During  the  year  1902-3,  Professor  W.  J.  McMurtry 
was  absent  on  leave  because  of  ill  health.  At  the  close 
of  the  preceding  year,  Professor  G.  W.  Nash  had  re- 
signed his  position  as  Principal  of  the  Academy  and 
Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Astronomy,  in  order  to 
become  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction.  He  was  successful  in  secur- 
ing the  office,  and  also  filled  it  with  great  success,  resign- 
ing to  accept  the  presidency  of  one  of  the  State  Normal 
Schools,  located  at  Aberdeen.  His  place  as  Professor 
of  Mathematics  and  Astronomy  was  filled  by  the  elec- 
tion of  George  Harvey  Scott,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  and  of  Harvard,  who  is  the  present 
occupant  of  the  position.  An  additional  professor- 
ship was  created  by  the  division  and  enlargement  of 
the  work  formerly  assigned  to  the  President.  He  now 
became  Professor  of  Economics,  Social  Science,  and 
Pedagogy;  while  the  new  chair  of  History  and  Political 
Science  was  filled  by  the  election  of  Elmer  Cummings 


122  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Griffith,  M.  A.,  Ph.D.,  a  graduate  of  Beloit  College 
and  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  Dr.  Griffith  was  also 
appointed  Principal  of  the  Academy.  Miss  Carrie  M. 
Lamb  succeeded  Miss  Everhard  as  Director  of  Physi- 
cal Training  and  Instructor  in  Physiology;  while  Miss 
Jennie  W.  Newman  succeeded  Miss  Axford  as  Instruct- 
or in  Elocution.  A  new  addition  to  Faculty  positions 
was  that  of  Athletic  Coach,  which  was  filled  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  John  Lorenzo  Griffith,  B.  A.,  a  graduate 
of  Beloit.  Mr.  Griffith  also  served  as  Instructor  in  the 
Academy.  Still  another  position  created  this  year  was 
that  of  Librarian,  to  which  Miss  Helen  E.  Miner  was 
appointed.  The  Student  Assistants  for  this  year  were 
the  following:  Hugh  Case  Leibee,  in  Chemistry;  Hazel 
Hope  MacGregor,  in  Mathematics;  Claude  Albert 
Bennett,  in  Mathematics;  Ray  Wallis  Ellis,  in  Biology. 
Rev.  G.  S.  Pope  was  appointed  Field  Agent,  his  duties 
being  the  securing  of  financial  support  in  the  State  and 
of  new  students. 

For  the  year  1903-4,  there  were  but  few  changes  in 
the  Faculty.  Professor  E.  B.  Gushing  resigned  the 
Professorship  of  Latin,  and  Henry  Francis  Smith,  B.  A., 
a  graduate  of  Beloit  and  of  Yale  Divinity  School,  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  Instructor  in  Latin.  Miss 
Newman  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  work  in  Elocution 
at  the  close  of  the  fall  term,  on  account  of  her  mother's 
death;  and  Miss  Rachel  M.  Axford,  who  was  the  first 
teacher  of  the  subject  in  the  College,  was  secured  to 
carry  on  the  work  for  the  remainder  of  the  year.  Miss 
Florence  B.  Jenney  succeeded  Miss  Waterman  as  In- 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  123 

structor  in  Voice  and  History  of  Music.  Mr.  Sher- 
wood's place  as  Instructor  in  Stenography  and  Type- 
writing was  taken  by  Mr.  Lewis  W.  Martyn;  that  of 
Mrs.  Tanzy  as  Matron,  by  Mrs.  Lillian  B.  Harvey. 
The  Student  Assistants  were  Sara  Alta  Hughes,  in 
English;  Anna  Emilia  Bagstad,  in  German  and  Eng- 
lish; Hazel  Hope  MacGregor,  in  Mathematics;  Claude 
Albert  Bennett,  in  Mathematics;  Ray  Wallis  Ellis,  in 
Biology,  and  Grace  Marion  Elliott,  in  Mathematics. 

For  1904-5,  the  Faculty  changes  were  the  following: 
Professor  J.  W.  Mather,  at  the  close  of  the  preceding 
year,  resigned  the  Professorship  of  Music  and  the  Direc- 
torship of  the  Conservatory,  to  take  a  similar  position 
in  Morningside  College.  Mr.  Lee  N.  Dailey  was  ap- 
pointed Director  of  the  Conservatory,  and  a  year  later, 
Professor  of  Music.  The  new  department  of  Biology 
and  Geology  was  created;  and  Mr.  LeRoy  Harris  Har- 
vey, a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Maine,  who  had 
been  Acting  Professor  of  Biology  in  Morningside  Col- 
lege the  preceding  year,  was  appointed  Instructor, 
receiving  the  Professorship  at  the  end  of  the  year. 
Miss  Bridges  having  resigned  her  position  as  Precep- 
tress and  Instructor  in  Greek  and  English,  the  vacancy 
was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Miss  Mabel  E.  Mess- 
ner,  a  graduate  of  Northwestern  University,  as  Dean 
of  Women  and  Instructor  in  German.  Miss  Newman 
again  returned  to  take  the  work  in  Elocution.  Ellen 
H.  Birdseye,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Oberlin,  succeeded 
Miss  Lamb  as  Physical  Director  of  Young  Women, 
also  serving  as  Instructor  in  Greek  and  English.  Miss 


i24  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Gould  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Daisy  M.  Haskell,  as 
Instructor  in  Drawing  and  Painting.  Mr.  Ray  W. 
Jordan  became  Instructor  in  Violin  and  Cornet;  and 
Miss  Gertrude  E.  Moses,  Organist  and  Assistant  in 
Piano.  The  Student  Assistants  for  the  year  were  Hazel 
Hope  MacGregor,  in  Mathematics;  Grace  Marion 
Elliott,  in  English  and  Mathematics.  Helen  McCurdy 
Coman  was  teacher  of  Typewriting. 

For  the  year  1905-6,  George  A.  Clark,  Professor  of 
Chemistry  and  Physics,  was  given  a  year's  leave  of  ab- 
sence for  study,  which  he  spent  in  the  Stanford  Uni- 
versity. Dr.  Elmer  C.  Griffith  having  resigned  his 
position  as  Principal  of  the  Academy  and  Professor  of 
History  and  Political  Science,  the  duties  of  the  Princi- 
palship  were  entrusted,  for  the  year,  to  Professor 
George  H.  Scott,  while  Ulysses  Simpson  Parker,  M.  A., 
a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Nebraska  and  of  Har- 
vard, was  appointed  Acting  Professor  of  History  and 
Political  Science.  In  the  course  of  the  year,  however, 
Carl  E.  Wallace,  M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Kansas,  was  appointed  Principal  of  the  Academy 
and  Professor  of  History  and  Political  Science,  taking 
up  the  work  at  the  beginning  of  the  following  year. 
Adeline  M.  Jenney,  B.  A.,  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Wisconsin,  became  Instructor  in  English  and  Greek. 
Warren  B.  Hyney,  B.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Albion  College, 
succeeded  Mr.  John  L.  Griffith  as  Director  of  Physical 
Training  for  Young  Men,  serving  also  as  Academy  In- 
structor in  History  and  Science.  Miss  Birdseye  was 
succeeded  as  Director  of  Physical  Training  for  Young 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  125 

Women  by  Miss  Ida  B.  Davis,  who  was  also  Academy 
Instructor  in  History  and  English.  Miss  Corinne 
Musgrove  succeeded  Miss  Florence  B.  Jenney  as  In- 
structor in  Voice  and  History  of  Music.  Miss  Mac- 
Gregor  continued  to  serve  as  Student  Assistant  in 
Mathematics,  and  Miss  Elliott,  in  English.  Miss 
Coman  also  continued  as  teacher  of  Typewriting. 

For  1906-7,  the  following  changes  occurred:  Profes- 
sor Henry  F.  Smith  resigned  the  Professorship  of  Latin, 
to  accept  a  position  in  Colorado  College;  and  the  va- 
cancy was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Marvin  V.  Ben- 
nett, M.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Wofford  College  (S.  C.),  who 
had  taken  graduate  work  at  Vanderbilt  and  Columbia 
Universities.  Miss  Newman  was  succeeded  as  In- 
structor in  Elocution  by  Miss  Davis,  the  latter  being 
succeeded  as  Physical  Director  for  Young  Women  by 
Miss  Mary  Coman.  Mr.  Hyney's  place  as  Physical 
Director  for  Young  Men  was  filled  by  the  appointment 
of  Louis  U.  Todd,  B.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Oberlin.  Miss 
Edna  Hecker  succeeded  Mr.  Jordan  as  Instructor  in 
Violin,  also  serving  as  Assistant  in  Piano.  Alta  Blood, 
B.  A.,  a  graduate  of  Oberlin,  became  Academy  In- 
structor in  English  and  History;  and  Miss  Hazel  H. 
MacGregor,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1906,  was  ap- 
pointed Instructor  in  Mathematics. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1900-1,  a  new  custom 
was  introduced  —  that  of  "Opening  Day."  The 
thought  was  to  make  the  commencement  of  the  new 
college  year  more  significant,  by  giving  greater  prom- 
inence to  the  chapel  services  of  the  first  day.  This  end 


126  YANKTON   COLLEGE 

is  accomplished  by  having  one  or  more  addresses  given 
by.  speakers  from  Yankton  or  the  State;  sometimes 
from  outside  the  State.  The  custom  has  usually  been 
observed  during  the  intervening  years.  On  the  first 
occasion,  addresses  were  given  by  Rev.  T.  J.  Wood- 
cock, pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  of  Elk  Point 
and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees;  by  Rev.  H.  W. 
Jamison,  of  the  class  of  1891,  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Beresford  and  also  a  Trustee,  and  by 
Rev.  R.  H.  Cantwell,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at 
Dell  Rapids.  In  subsequent  years,  addresses  have 
been  given  by  President  George  N.  Ellis,  of  Tabor  Col- 
lege, Hon.  Bartlett  Tripp,  Senator  R.  J.  Gamble,  and 
others. 

During  this  same  year,  the  library  was  reclassified 
and  catalogued  according  to  the  Dewey  system.  This 
work  was  carried  through  by  Mrs.  Julia  Concannon. 
Subsequently,  the  increased  importance  attached  to 
the  library,  in  connection  with  the  work  of  the  College, 
was  indicated  by  the  appointment  of  Miss  Helen  E. 
Miner  as  Librarian. 

Good  progress  was  being  made  in  the  equipment  of 
the  scientific  laboratories.  That  year,  the  work  in 
Physics  was  made  much  more  efficient  by  the  expendi- 
ture of  $1000  for  new  apparatus.  Already,  Miss  Fiske's 
generous  gift  of  $1300  had  done  much  toward  the  equip- 
ment of  the  Biological  Laboratory,  the  apparatus  pur- 
chased therewith  including  twenty-one  compound 
microscopes.  Extensive  and  valuable  cabinets  of 
minerals  and  geological  specimens  had  gradually  been 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  127 

accumulated,  large  additions  being  made  to  the 
scientific  material  through  the  presentation  of  a  col- 
lection by  Mr.  H.  W.  White,  of  Yankton. 

The  catalogue  of  this  year  (1900-1)  announces  a  new 
addition  to  the  list  of  prizes,  namely:  the  Drake  Prizes 
—  one  of  fifteen  dollars,  the  other  of  ten  dollars  —  of- 
fered annually  by  Mr.  J.  M'E.  Drake,  of  the  Youth's 
Companion,  Boston,  Massachusetts,  to  the  two  members 
of  the  Freshman  class  who  secure  the  best  record  in  the 
regular  work  of  that  class  during  the  first  semester. 
The  first  winners  of  these  prizes  were  Mabelle  Huntley, 
of  Highmore,  and  Henry  Tammen,  of  Yankton.  This 
year,  also,  the  Valentine  Prizes,  amounting  to  twenty- 
five  dollars,  were  established  by  Dr.  E.  M.  Valentine, 
of  Yankton,  to  be  given  for  excellence  in  Declamation, 
thus  taking  the  place  of  the  old  Churchill  Prizes.  The 
"Alexandria"  Prizes,  amounting  to  twenty  dollars, 
were  given  for  the  last  time  this  year.  For  ten  years 
they  had  been  presented  by  Mr.  I.  J.  Gray,  formerly 
of  Alexandria,  to  the  two  young  women  of  the  College 
and  Academy  who  should  write  the  best  essays  on  as- 
signed topics. 

At  the  Christmas  holidays,  a  very  successful  meeting 
of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  was  held  at  the  Col- 
lege. 

In  the  spring,  a  new  departure  was  made  in  Athletics, 
by  the  employment  of  a  coach,  who  was  engaged  ex- 
clusively for  this  work  by  the  Athletic  Association. 
Soon  after,  as  has  been  already  stated,  this  work  became 
a  part  of  the  duties  of  an  Academy  Instructor  —  an 


128  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

arrangement  which  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
Whether  it  was  due  to  the  new  system,  or  to  other 
reasons,  the  final  score  at  the  Intercollegiate  Contest 
stood  as  follows:  Brookings,  65;  Yankton,  65 J; 
Mitchell,  5  if ;  Redfield,  8.  In  the  Oratorical  Contest, 
the  outcome  was  not  equally  satisfactory;  though  Mr. 
E.  D.  Schoenberger,  the  Yankton  orator,  secured  first 
place  from  all  the  judges  in  thought  and  composition. 
Miss  Edith  Noble,  the  Mitchell  representative,  did  the 
same  in  delivery,  and  thereby  secured  first  place,  Mr. 
Schoenberger  getting  second.  The  record  in  Athletics 
was  maintained  in  a  dual  meet  with  Morningside  Col- 
lege early  in  June,  Yankton  securing  seventy-six 
points;  Morningside,  twenty-eight. 

The  graduating  class  of  this  year  enjoys  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  largest  in  the  history  of  the  institution, 
containing  nine  young  men  and  two  young  women. 
The  young  men  were  the  following:  George  Benson 
Ames,  Raymond  Bridgman,  Eugene  Forester  Judson, 
Richard  Frank  Marwood,  Francis  Fordham  Nash, 
Reuben  Harlan  Osgood,  Emmanuel  Deogratias  Schoen- 
berger, Ralph  Waldo  Thwing,  and  Claude  Cornelius 
VanNuys.  The  young  women  were  Daisy  E.  Eyerly 
and  Agnes  Fenenga. 

In  November,  1901,  the  State  Convention  of  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  was  held  at 
the  College,  the  occasion  passing  off  very  successfully, 
with  the  largest  record  of  attendance  up  to  that  time. 

In  January,  a  course  in  Domestic  Economy  was  in- 
troduced, with  Mrs.  Tanzy,  the  Matron,  as  Instructor. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN   129 

However,   the  course  was  maintained  for  only  two 
years. 

Of  the  year  1902-3,  one  of  the  most  notable  events 
was  the  introduction  of  the  Annual  High  School  Con- 
tests in  Declamation  and  Athletics,  which  have  been 
a  prominent  feature  of  the  latter  part  of  the  college  year 
ever  since.  The  initiation  of  the  plan  was  due  to  Mr. 
J.  L.  Griffith,  Physical  Director  for  Young  Men  at 
that  time,  who  had  been  familiar  with  a  similar  plan 
as  a  student  at  Beloit.  Invitations  were  sent  to  the 
leading  high  schools  of  the  State  asking  them  to  send 
their  champions  in  Declamation  and  their  athletes,  for 
the  purpose  of  utilizing  the  fine  facilities  available  at 
Yankton,  in  the  way  of  competitive  contests  in  the  two 
lines  of  activity.  Representatives  of  six  schools  entered 
the  Declamation  Contest,  namely:  Centerville,  Dell 
Rapids,  Hurley,  Milbank,  Pierre,  and  Scotland.  The 
result  was  that  Robert  P.  Gleckler,  of  Pierre,  won  first 
place,  and  Frances  Irene  Shreve,  of  Dell  Rapids,  second 
place.  Mr.  Gleckler  was  presented  with  a  gold  medal, 
and  Miss  Shreve  with  a  silver  one.  In  the  Athletic 
Contests,  five  schools  took  part,  namely:  Dell  Rapids, 
Pierre,  Tyndall,  Vermillion,  and  Yankton.  Tyndall 
won  the  greatest  number  of  points.  Gold  and  silver 
medals  were  presented  to  the  athletic  victors  also;  and 
a  banner  was  given  to  the  school  winning  first  place  in 
Declamation,  and  also  to  the  one  doing  the  same  in 
Athletics.  The  occasion  proved  to  be  a  great  success, 
which  has  been  repeated  every  year  since.  Other  im- 
portant high  schools,  including  those  of  Aberdeen, 


i3o  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Huron,  Mitchell,  and  Sioux  Falls,  have  taken  part  in 
these  contests  in  more  recent  years. 

At  the  Intercollegiate  Oratorical  Contest  of  that  year, 
Yankton  won  first  place  —  an  experience  that  had 
become  a  somewhat  remote  memory.  For  this  pleasure 
she  was  indebted  to  Miss  Anna  E.  Bagstad,  of  the  class 
of  1905,  whose  oration  had  as  its  subject  "Goethe." 
In  Athletics,  however,  Yankton  was  out-classed  by 
Brookings  and  Mitchell. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  year,  the  old  Oratorical 
Association,  which  had  been  in  charge  of  the  local  ora- 
torical contest,  the  result  of  which  decided  who  should 
be  the  representative  of  the  College  in  the  State  Con- 
test, was  disbanded,  and  a  new  organization  formed, 
to  be  known  as  the  Students'  League  of  Oratory  and 
Debating.  The  name  indicates  what  the  functions  of 
the  organization  were  to  be;  it  also  marks  the  advent 
of  a  new  and  important  line  of  student-activity.  It  was 
arranged  that  the  Flanagan  Prize  Debate  should  be 
under  the  control  of  the  League,  and  should  serve  as  a 
preliminary  contest  for  determining  who  should  be 
intercollegiate  contestants  in  Debate. 

A  new  feature  in  the  events  of  Commencement  Week 
was  added  that  year,  namely:  a  contest  in  Extempore 
Speaking.  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Riggs,  of  Oahe,  instituted 
the  contest  by  offering  a  prize  of  ten  dollars,  which  was 
divided  between  Mr.  J.  A.  Fitch  and  Mr.  J.  W.  F. 
Davies. 

The  Class  Day  exercises  of  that  year  were  of  unusual 
form  and  interest.  They  were  held  on  the  forenoon 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN   131 

of  Commencement  Day,  the  regular  Commencement 
exercises  being  held  in  the  evening,  instead  of  in  the 
forenoon,  as  usual.  The  Class  Day  ceremonies  cen- 
tered about  the  dedication  of  a  substantial  rock,  with 
the  year  of  the  class  cut  into  it,  which  reposes,  as  a  last- 
ing memorial  of  the  class,  in  front  of  Ward  Hall. 
Howard  Guy  McVay  presided;  Cornelius  Robert 
Buller  and  Fred  Albert  Munneke  delivered  orations; 
Julia  Dudley  gave  the  class  poem;  Hugh  Case  Leibee, 
the  class  history;  while  James  William  Frederick 
Davies  and  Grace  Esther  Felber  dedicated  and 
christened  the  stone.  The  Commencement  address 
was  given  by  Rev.  William  Barton,  D.  D.,  of  Oak  Park, 
Illinois. 

A  new  line  of  work  was  inaugurated  in  the  summer 
of  that  year  by  the  organization  of  a  Summer  School, 
which  aimed  to  give  teachers  an  opportunity  to  review 
branches  already  studied,  or  to  take  up  new  work,  and, 
furthermore,  to  enable  College  and  Academy  students 
to  make  additional  credits.  As  at  first  planned,  the 
term  was  five  weeks  in  length,  recitations  being  held 
six  days  in  the  week.  Afterwards,  it  was  decided  to 
lengthen  the  term  to  six  weeks,  with  recitations  five  days 
in  the  week.  For  the  future,  the  term  will  be  eight 
weeks  in  length,  enabling  a  student  to  secure  a  semes- 
ter's credit  for  a  double  course,  that  is,  one  in  which 
recitations  are  held  twice  a  day.  During  the  first  two 
weeks  of  the  Summer  School,  the  sessions  of  the  Yank- 
ton  County  Teachers'  Institute  are  held  in  connection 
with  it.  The  faculty  is  composed  mainly  of  members 


i32  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

of  the  College  Faculty;  though  a  number  of  outsiders 
are  added  for  pedagogical  and  other  special  work.  The 
average  attendance,  thus  far,  has  been  a  little  above 
one  hundred. 

In  the  following  year  (1903-4),  Debating  was  one  of 
the  chief  interests.  A  series  of  contests  was  arranged 
with  Huron  College.  The  question  selected  for  the 
first  debate  was  "  Resolved,  that  the  Fifteenth  Amend- 
ment of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  has  justi- 
fied itself."  The  work  was  new,  and  experience  was 
needed  to  show  the  best  methods  of  preparation.  The 
result  of  the  preliminary  contest,  which,  in  accordance 
with  the  constitution  of  the  Oratorical  and  Debating 
League,  was  the  Flanagan  Prize  Debate,  was  that 
Howard  H.  Warren  and  Royal  C.  Frisbie  were  selected 
as  Yankton's  representatives;  while  Messrs.  Dobson 
and  Grossman  were  Huron's  champions.  Huron  sup- 
ported the  affirmative,  and  gained  the  votes  of  two 
judges.  The  defeat  caused  Yankton  to  feel  that  more 
thorough  and  systematic  preparation  must  be  made  for 
future  contests. 

This  year  also  witnessed  the  birth  of  a  new  organi- 
zation—  the  "Y  Club" — composed  of  those  young 
men  who,  as  a  token  of  their  success  in  Athletics,  had 
been  decorated  with  gold  Y's.  The  Club  aims  primar- 
ily to  encourage  an  interest  in  Athletics;  but  it  is  also 
not  unmindful  of  the  social  side  of  student-life.  Its 
annual  banquet  is  one  of  the  prominent  social  events 
of  the  year. 

Another  new  feature  introduced  this  year  was  the 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  133 

inauguration  of  the  custom  of  observing  "Founder's 
Day",  in  memory  of  Dr.  Ward.  It  seemed  to  the 
Faculty  eminently  fitting  that  some  means  should  be 
devised  for  keeping  fresh  in  the  memory  of  those  con- 
nected with  the  College,  whether  as  teachers  or  stu- 
dents, the  vitally  important  part  played  by  Dr.  Ward 
in  the  establishment  of  the  institution,  and  in  the  set- 
ting up  of  its  ideals.  Accordingly,  it  was  decided  that 
May  5  —  Dr.  Ward's  birthday  —  should  be  designated 
in  the  College  calendar  as  " Founder's  Day;"  and  that 
annually,  on  that  day,  addresses  should  be  made  com- 
memorative of  his  life  and  work.  These  exercises 
are  usually  held  in  connection  with  the  regular  chapel 
services. 

On  the  first  occasion,  Hon.  Bartlett  Tripp,  who  had 
been  intimately  acquainted  with  Dr.  Ward,  told  some- 
thing of  his  memories  and  impressions  of  him  —  mem- 
ories and  impressions  some  of  which  long  antedated 
the  founding  of  the  College.  Professor  McMurtry,  also, 
whose  connection  with  the  College  preceded  by  over 
two  years  the  death  of  Dr.  Ward,  told  somewhat  of  his 
memories  and  impressions  regarding  "the  Founder" 
and  the  early  history  of  the  College.  At  the  second 
celebration  of  the  day,  Mr.  Ephraim  Miner,  who  had 
been  long  and  closely  associated  with  Dr.  Ward,  in  con- 
nection with  the  church  and  the  College  as  well  as  in 
business  relations,  was  one  of  the  speakers;  while  Pro- 
fessor Durand  spoke  from  the  standpoint  of  one  who 
had  been  a  student  during  his  presidency.  For  the 
following  year,  the  speakers  were  Hon.  L.  B.  French, 


134  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

a  prominent  lawyer  and  long-time  resident  of  Yankton, 
who  had  been  well  acquainted  with  Dr.  Ward,  and  Mrs. 
Malcolm  Walker,  a  Yankton  lady  who  was  closely 
connected  with  him  by  marriage,  and  had  known  him 
intimately  from  his  boyhood.  Mrs.  Walker's  address 
was  one  of  great  interest  and  charm,  and  was  after- 
wards printed  in  pamphlet  form.  Inasmuch  as  the  day 
came  on  Sunday  in  the  present  year,  and  since,  further- 
more, Dr.  Ward  was  the  founder  of  the  Yankton  church 
almost  as  truly  as  he  was  of  the  College,  it  seemed  highly 
fitting  that  the  observance  of  the  occasion  should  take 
place  in  the  Church.  Accordingly,  Rev.  F.  V.  Stevens, 
the  pastor,  devoted  his  sermon  to  a  strong  and  impress- 
ive discussion  of  the  spirit  and  ideals  manifested  in  Dr. 
Ward's  life. 

During  the  year  1904-5,  the  courses  of  study  were 
remodeled,  a  number  of  important  changes  being  intro- 
duced. The  semester  system  was  adopted  in  place  of 
the  former  three-term  division  of  the  college  year. 
The  requirements  for  admission  to  the  Freshman  class 
were  stated  in  a  more  satisfactory  way.  Instead  of  the 
old  plan  of  three  separate  College  courses,  leading  to 
three  distinct  degrees,  one  flexible  scheme  was  adopted, 
permitting  a  wide  range  of  variation,  but  in  every  case 
leading  to  the  degree  of  B.  A. 

The  possibilities  of  election  were  increased;  but,  at 
the  same  time,  they  were  controlled  by  a  carefully  con- 
structed outline,  aiming  to  embody  the  best  results 
hitherto  attained  in  the  evolution  of  college  courses. 
In  brief,  the  plan  provides  that  the  course  of  study 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN   135 

followed  by  each  student  taking  a  regular  course 
should  embrace  three  constituents,  entitled  "Required 
Courses,"  "Free  Electives,"  and  "Majors  and  Minors." 
The  Required  Courses,  amounting  to  seven  year-cred- 
its, include  the  courses  which,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Faculty,  it  is  well  for  every  liberally  educated  person  to 
pursue.  The  Free  Electives,  amounting  to  five  year- 
credits,  represent  the  student's  unfettered  liking  and 
choice;  while  the  Majors  and  Minors,  equivalent  to 
four  year-credits,  are  composed  of  two  lines  of  work, 
of  which  the  Majors  require  three  times  as  much  work 
as  the  Minors.  The  three  constituents  accordingly, 
represent  the  judgment  of  the  Faculty,  the  individual 
likings  and  aptitudes  of  the  student,  and,  finally,  a  com- 
bination of  the  two;  inasmuch  as  the  student  decides 
what  his  Major  and  Minor  shall  be,  but  the  choice  is 
made  from  a  number  of  combinations  proposed  by  the 
Faculty,  and  the  time  is  prescribed,  for  which  the  sub- 
jects chosen  shall  be  studied.  The  special  object  of  the 
Majors  and  Minors  is  to  provide  that  every  student 
who  completes  a  course,  shall  have  the  opportunity  to 
learn  what  scholarly  work  really  means,  by  prosecut- 
ing, for  a  considerable  length  of  tune,  work  in  a  com- 
paratively limited  field.  In  the  Academy  courses,  no 
important  changes  were  made,  except  the  addition  of 
another  year  of  work,  mainly  of  collegiate  grade,  to  the 
Normal  Course. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  had  con- 
ducted a  lecture  course  for  a  considerable  number  of 
years;  but  finding  that  the  normal  tendency  was  toward 


136  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

a  deficit  as  the  outcome,  they  decided  to  cease  making 
the  attempt  to  carry  on  a  course,  for  a  time  at  least. 
At  President  Warren's  suggestion,  and  with  his  co- 
operation, the  following  plan  was  devised  for  paying 
off  the  debt  incurred  by  the  Association  in  its  efforts  to 
maintain  a  lecture  course.  Some  prominent  lecturer 
would  be  asked  to  contribute  a  lecture,  as  an  aid  toward 
the  end  sought,  for  his  expenses  or  other  nominal  sum. 
On  December  i,  Dr.  Gunsaulus,  the  famous  Chicago 
preacher  and  orator,  gave  a  much-enjoyed  lecture  under 
such  an  arrangement.  In  the  following  year,  Dr. 
Lyman  B.  Sperry,  who,  in  former  years,  had  delivered 
a  series  of  lectures  to  the  students,  kindly  consented  to 
repeat  the  favor  conferred  by  Dr.  Gunsaulus;  while 
early  in  the  present  year,  Rev.  Charles  M.  Sheldon  con- 
sented to  revisit  his  boyhood  home  on  a  similar  errand. 
With  such  helpers,  the  debt  was  gradually  lessened; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  much  of  pleasure  and  inspiration 
came  to  the  students  in  the  course  of  the  process. 

The  increased  number  of  students  in  the  College 
proper  had  caused  the  young  men  to  feel  that  the  one 
literary  society  that  had  hitherto  sufficed  for  them  — 
the  Thegn  —  was  inadequate  to  meet  the  need.  Hence, 
from  the  membership  of  the  Thegn  and  new  students, 
two  College  young  men's  societies  were  formed  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1905,  one  of  which  retained  the 
old  name;  while  the  other  designated  itself  as  the 
Adelphian.  The  division  introduced  an  element  of 
friendly  competition  that  has  added  somewhat  to  the 
interest  taken  in  society  activities  —  an  element  of 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  137 

rivalry  that  has  been  utilized  especially  in  connection 
with  preparation  for  Intercollegiate  Debates. 

In  the  course  of  this  same  year  (1904-5),  a  step  for- 
ward, of  minor  importance,  and  yet  of  interest,  was 
taken  by  the  creation  of  an  official  seal.  Dr.  Ward  had 
drawn  a  sketch  embodying  his  ideas  as  to  the  proper 
design;  but,  unfortunately,  this  drawing  had  been  lost. 
However,  the  recollections  of  those  who  had  seeen  it  — 
especially  of  Mrs.  Ward  —  were  utilized,  and  to  some 
extent  were  embodied  in  the  new  device.  Previous  to 
the  Commencement  of  1904,  four  designs  had  been 
worked  out,  and  submitted  for  suggestions  to  the  Fac- 
ulty, students,  and  other  persons  interested.  At  the 
Commencement  Collation,  a  vote  was  taken  to  deter- 
mine the  first  choice  among  the  four  designs.  The  one 
favored  by  the  majority  served  as  a  model.  About  the 
outer  margin  runs  the  legend,  "Yankton  College  — 
Founded  1881."  Within  a  triple  inner  circle  is  a  cross 
shedding  light  upon  a  book,  beneath  which  is  the  Col- 
lege motto  —  "Christ  for  the  World." 

On  March  22,  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  library 
building  was  laid,  with  simple,  but  appropriate,  cere- 
monies, Hon.  C.  H.  Dillon,  of  Yankton,  Vice  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  speaking  for  that  body,  and 
Professor  Durand  for  the  Faculty.  The  construction 
proceeded  with  so  little  delay  that  the  formal  ceremonies 
celebrating  the  opening  of  the  building  were  held  on 
the  evening  of  October  n.  The  main  address  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  W.  J.  Turner,  of  Norfolk,  Nebraska, 
in  the  Chapel;  after  which  the  large  audience  present 


138  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

adjourned  to  the  brilliantly  lighted  new  structure, 
where  briefer  speeches  were  made  by  President  War- 
ren regarding  the  donor;  by  Mr.  Harry  Deiman,  on  the 
subject,  "The  Library  from  the  Student's  Standpoint"; 
by  Professor  McMurtry,  on  "The  Library  from  the 
Faculty  Standpoint";  by  Senator  R.  J.  Gamble,  on 
"The  Library  as  Viewed  by  the  Citizens";  finally,  by 
Secretary  Lay,  on  "Cost,  Construction,  and  Future 
Improvements  of  the  Building."  The  structure  — 
the  fifth  of  the  larger  buildings  upon  the  Campus  —  is 
of  brick,  fifty  by  sixty-nine  feet  in  extent,  containing 
two  stories.  On  the  lower  floor  are  the  office  of  the 
College  Secretary,  a  recitation-room,  a  work-room  for 
cataloguing,  and  the  furnace-room.  On  the  second 
floor,  are  the  large  and  beautiful  reading-room  and  the 
finely  equipped  stack-room.  The  complete  plan  pro- 
vides for  the  ultimate  addition  of  two  wings,  when  need 
for  them  shall  arise.  The  universal  feeling  was  that  the 
construction  of  this  building  marked  a  very  important 
step  forward. 

On  April  28,  the  second  debate  with  Huron  College 
occurred,  the  question  being  "Resolved,  that  the  Im- 
migration Laws  of  the  United  States  should  be  made 
Uniform  with  respect  to  All  Nationalities."  Messrs. 
R.  C.  Frisbie  and  S.  D.  Thornton  represented  Yankton; 
while  Huron  was  represented  by  Messrs.  Starring  and 
Appel.  The  decision  of  the  judges  was  unanimously 
in  favor  of  Yankton,  the  defeat  of  the  previous  year 
being  thus  more  than  atoned  for. 

On  April  10,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  139 

College,  occurred  the  presentation  of  a  Classical  play. 
The  "Phormio"  of  Terence,  one  of  the  Latin  comedies, 
had  been  carefully  translated  by  advanced  students  in 
Latin;  and,  on  the  evening  of  the  above-mentioned 
day,  it  was  very  successfully  and  pleasingly  put  upon 
the  stage  under  the  direction  of  Professor  Smith. 

This  year,  for  the  first  time  since  1897,  the  Intercol- 
legiate Contests  in  Oratory  and  Athletics  were  held  at 
Yankton.  In  the  former,  Mr.  Clarence  L.  Holmes 
represented  Yankton,  receiving  fourth  place,  Mr.  Tan- 
ner, of  Mitchell,  ranking  first.  In  the  latter,  the  Agri- 
cultural College  secured  the  greatest  number  of  points, 
Yankton  coming  next.  Because  of  the  small  attend- 
ance, both  local  and  from  other  institutions,  it  seemed 
advisable  to  hold  the  contests  nearer  the  center  of  the 
State.  Hence,  in  the  succeeding  years,  they  have  been 
held  at  Huron  or  Mitchell. 

The  May  Musical  Festival  was  held  this  year  under 
the  direction  of  the  new  head  of  the  Conservatory  — 
Professor  Dailey.  Three  evenings  were  occupied  by 
the  various  entertainments.  On  the  first  evening,  a 
concert  was  given  by  the  College  Orchestra,  which 
included  sixteen  persons,  playing  eight  different  instru- 
ments. On  the  second  evening,  a  vocal  program 
was  rendered  by  Mr.  Gustav  Holmquist,  of  Chicago; 
while,  on  the  last  evening,  Gounod's  Redemption  was 
given  very  successfully  by  the  Choral  Union,  with 
Misses  Jenney  and  Messner  and  Mr.  Holmquist  as 
soloists. 

During  the  summer  vacation  of  this  year  (1904-5), 


i4o  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

the  first  session  was  held  at  the  College  of  a  Summer 
Theological  Institute  —  a  revival  by  President  Warren 
of  a  plan  inaugurated  by  President  Ward,  shortly 
before  his  death.  The  object  was,  primarily,  to  give 
clergymen,  whether  Congregational  or  of  other  denom- 
inations, the  opportunity  to  spend  two  weeks  in  coming 
into  touch  with  the  freshest,  most  inspiring,  views  of 
theological,  particularly  biblical,  subjects,  as  pre- 
sented by  eminent  scholars  and  specialists.  Anybody, 
however,  who  was  sufficiently  interested  in  such  matters 
to  give  the  requisite  time,  and  to  pay  the  modest  fees 
for  tuition  and  board  and  lodging,  if  needed,  was  hearti- 
ly welcomed.  For  the  first  session,  the  lecturers  were 
Dr.  Bewer,  Professor  of  Hebrew  in  Union  Theological 
Seminary  in  New  York  City;  Dr.  E.  I.  Bosworth,  Dean 
of  the  Oberlin  Theological  Seminary;  Dr.  Henry  C. 
King,  President  of  Oberlin  College,  and  Professor  G.  H. 
Durand,  of  Yankton.  The  following  summer,  Dr. 
W.  G.  Ballantine,  formerly  Professor  of  Hebrew,  and 
later  President,  of  Oberlin,  and  Dr.  Frank  K.  Sanders, 
formerly  Dean  of  the  Yale  Divinity  School,  were  the 
instructors.  The  attendance  was  not  as  large  as  was 
desirable;  but  all  who  attended,  were  heartily  agreed 
that  they  had  derived  much  of  help  and  inspiration 
from  the  Institute. 

In  the  college  year  1905-6,  an  important  step  forward 
was  taken  by  adding  one  year  to  the  Academy  courses 
of  study,  the  regular  College  Preparatory  Courses 
becoming  four  years  in  length;  the  Normal  Course, 
five  years.  In  the  case  of  the  former,  the  change  was 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  141 

made  in  order  to  give  a  more  thorough  preparation  for 
college  work,  and  also  in  recognition  of  the  develop- 
ment taking  place  in  the  courses  of  the  public  high 
schools.  The  increased  amount  of  work  provided  in 
the  Normal  Course  was  called  for  by  the  law  prescrib- 
ing the  requirements  to  be  met  by  those  who  should  be 
able  to  secure  five-year  teachers'  certificates. 

It  has  been  stated  that,  in  the  year  1902-3,  the  local 
Oratorical  Association  was  reorganized.  The  new 
organization,  however,  proved  to  be  a  short-lived  one, 
mainly  owing  to  the  fact  that,  as  in  the  past,  but  few 
students  took  any  active  interest  in  its  affairs.  A  new 
plan  was  now  proposed,  aiming  to  introduce  a  more 
satisfactory  condition  by  making  the  home  Oratorical 
Contest  an  inter-society  affair,  the  contestants  repre- 
senting the  three  College  literary  societies,  and  all 
arrangements  being  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  committee 
composed  of  a  representative  from  each  Society  and  a 
member  of  the  Faculty.  A  similar  arrangement  had 
been  adopted  in  matters  pertaining  to  Intercollegiate 
Debating.  It  was  decided  that  the  representatives  of 
the  College  in  Intercollegiate  Debates  should  be  selected 
by  a  lengthy  series  of  society  and  inter-society  debates, 
on  the  same  question  as  was  to  serve  in  the  approaching 
Intercollegiate  Debate,  thus  ensuring  the  choice  of  the 
most  effective  debaters  on  the  question,  and  also  their 
thorough  preparation. 

A  reorganization  was  effected,  this  year,  in  the  ath- 
letic organizations  also.  It  was  decided  that,  instead 
of  having  separate  Associations  for  the  young  men  and 


I4a  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

the  young  women,  the  two  should  be  combined  into  one 
general  Association,  embracing  the  entire  student-body 
and  the  Faculty,  which  should  have  a  general  control 
over  all  athletic  interests.  The  immediate  executive 
control,  however,  was  put  under  the  charge  of  a  Board 
of  Control,  including  three  members  of  the  Faculty, 
one  citizen  of  the  Town,  one  alumnus,  one  representa- 
tive of  each  class  in  the  College  and  the  Academy,  one 
of  the  Conservatory,  one  of  the  Y  Club,  and  the  mana- 
gers and  captains  of  the  various  athletic  teams.  This 
Board  was  to  elect  its  own  officers,  who  were  to  serve 
also  as  the  officers  of  the  Association.  This  scheme 
has  worked  very  successfully  thus  far,  both  from  a 
financial  standpoint  and  also  by  securing  a  more  widely 
diffused  interest  in  athletic  matters. 

Frequently,  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  has  the 
closeness  of  the  bond  uniting  the  College  with  the 
Congregational  church  of  Yankton  become  apparent. 
It  was,  accordingly,  a  matter  of  much  interest  and  regret 
to  those  connected  with  the  College,  when,  on  March 
8,  Rev.  B.  G.  Mattson,  after  holding  the  pastorate  for 
seven  years,  resigned  to  accept  a  call  to  Mansfield,  Ohio. 
Mr.  Mattson' s  ability  as  a  preacher  made  it  seem  a 
matter  of  difficulty  to  discover  a  suitable,  and  at  the 
same  time  attainable,  successor.  However,  in  securing 
Rev.  F.  V.  Stevens,  of  Whitewater,  Wisconsin,  both 
church  and  College  feel  that  the  pulpit  continues  to  be 
filled  by  a  strong  and  clear-headed  leader  and  helper  in 
the  spiritual  life. 

The  third  and  final  debate  with  Huron  College  oc- 
curred on  the  evening  of  April  20,  at  Yankton.  As  has 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  PRESIDENT  WARREN  143 

already  been  mentioned,  in  the  two  former  debates 
each  college  had  been  victorious  once.  Consequently, 
the  approach  of  the  third  was  viewed  with  much  inter- 
est. The  question  selected  was  that  of  the  desirability 
of  the  general  use  of  the  plan  of  the  Primary  Election, 
Yankton  supporting  the  affirmative.  The  system  of 
repeated  society  and  inter-society  debates  on  the  ques- 
tion had  resulted  in  the  choice  of  a  strong  and  well- 
trained  team,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Deiman,  Amund- 
sen, and  Roberts;  while  Huron  was  represented  by 
Messrs.  Appel,  Weir,  and  Starring.  They,  too,  were 
excellently  prepared  for  the  hand-to-hand  struggle. 
Both  sides  had  carried  on  an  extensive  correspondence 
with  prominent  public  men  and  authorities  on  the  ques- 
tion. After  an  exciting  and  strongly  contested  debate, 
the  judges,  by  a  two-to-one  verdict,  awarded  first  place 
to  Yankton,  thus  giving  the  victory  in  the  series  as  a 
whole  to  the  same  institution. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  year  (1906-7),  an 
arrangement  was  made  with  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, at  Brookings,  to  hold  a  series  of  debates.  The 
first  of  these,  occurring  early  in  the  spring,  was  upon 
the  question  of  Compulsory  Arbitration  in  Labor  Dis- 
putes, Yankton  again  maintaining  the  affirmative. 
Her  representatives  again  included  Messrs.  Deiman 
and  Amundsen  and  also  Mr.  Howard  H.  Warren,  a 
participant  in  the  first  debate  with  Huron.  Brookings 
sent  Messrs.  Dillman,  Sperb,  and  Salmon,  as  her  repre- 
sentatives, and  worthily  did  they  play  their  part. 
Nevertheless,  the  decision  of  the  judges  was  in  favor  of 
Yankton  by  two  to  one. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   PRESENT  AND   FUTURE 

We  have  now  followed  the  history  of  the  College 
from  its  founding  down  to  the  present  time  —  a  period 
including  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  its  work.  It  has 
been  a  record  of  strenuous  effort  in  the  face  of  lack  of 
resources  and  almost  insurmountable  difficulties;  a 
record  of  steadfast  endurance,  unfaltering  courage, 
and  arduous  endeavor  in  the  midst  of  discouragement 
and  threatening  disaster;  finally,  a  record  of  fidelity 
to  unselfish  aims  and  high  and  worthy  ideals.  It  is 
this  record  and  its  intangible,  but  enduring  and  potent, 
impress  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  and  lives  of  a  mul- 
titude of  young  men  and  women,  that  constitute  the 
institution's  chief  title  to  honor.  These  young  men 
and  women  —  the  graduates  and  students  for  a  longer 
or  shorter  period,  in  the  past  years  —  have,  we  doubt 
not,  been  living  more  intelligently,  more  largely,  more 
unselfishly  and  usefully,  because  of  their  connection  with 
Yankton  College.  An  institution  that  attains,  in  any 
considerable  degree,  such  results,  has  justified  its  right 
to  existence.  While,  then,  with  greatest  pride,  would 
the  College  point  to  the  lives  of  her  sons  and  daughters 
as  the  most  satisfactory  outcome  of  her  work,  yet  it 
may  be  well,  in  concluding  this  outline  of  the  events  in 

144 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  145 

her  brief  life,  to  summarize  the  more  important  facts 
that  are  the  outward  embodiment  of  her  inner  life  and 
spirit. 

The  resources  of  the  institution,  including  Campus, 
buildings,  endowment,  and  all  other  items,  have  a  total 
value  of  about  $360,000.00.  About  one-half  of  this 
amount  consists  of  the  endowment  funds.  The  Cam- 
pus contains  about  twenty-five  acres,  including  the 
Athletic  Park.  It  is  finely  situated  on  a  hill,  known 
as  College  Hill,  immediately  adjoining  the  main  portion 
of  the  City  on  the  north.  Covered  with  an  abundant 
growth  of  thrifty  trees,  and  furnished  with  gracefully 
curving  cement  walks,  it  is  justly  considered  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  scenes  in  the  entire  State.  In  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  Campus  are  located  the  five  main 
buildings,  namely:  Ward  Hall  of  Science,  Middle  Hall, 
Dakin  Hall,  the  Library,  and  the  Gymnasium.  On 
the  west  is  the  residence  of  the  President;  on  the  east, 
the  white  walls  of  Lay  Cottage  peer  through  the  trees; 
on  the  south,  crowning  Observatory  Hill,  is  the  Observ- 
atory; while  on  the  north,  in  the  Athletic  Park,  is 
the  substantially  constructed  grandstand. 

The  Corporate  Board,  in  which  is  vested  the  cor- 
porate existence  of  the  institution,  at  present  contains 
fifty-four  members,  namely:  Pres.  G.  W.  Nash,  Aber- 
deen; Rev.  L.  E.  Camfield,  Academy;  A.  S.  Disbrow, 
Alcester;  Rev.  D.  J.  Perrin,  Belle  Fourche;  Rev.  H.  W. 
Jamison  and  Hon.  J.  E.  Sinclair,  Beresford;  Hon. 
C.  H.  Cassill  and  Rev.  G.  S.  Evans,  Canton;  Rev. 
J.  W.  Todd,  Centerville;  Rev.  D.  M.  Brown,  Cham- 


146  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

berlain;  Rev.  E.  M.  Williams,  D.  D.,  Chicago,  Illinois; 
Rev.  T.  J.  Woodcock,  Elk  Point;  E.  M.  Lyman,  Gettys- 
burg; G.  W.  Fitch,  Hurley;  Rev.  C.  M.  Daley  and 
Rev.  W.  H.  Thrall,  D.  D.,  Huron;  Hon.  W.  H.  H. 
Beadle,  Madison;  G.  A.  Wood,  Milbank;  Fred  Greene, 
Miller;  Rev.  A.  C.  Bowdish,  A.  E.  Hitchcock,  and  D. 
B.  Miller,  Mitchell;  Rev.  G.  S.  Pope,  Oacoma;  Rev. 
T.  L.  Riggs,  Oahe;  C.  L.  Hyde,  Pierre;  H.  W.  Som- 
ers,  Rapid  City;  Charles  Shade,  Rock  Rapids,  Iowa; 
Rev.  A.  L.  Riggs,  D.  D.,  and  F.  B.  Riggs,  Santee, 
Nebraska;  F.  A.  McCornack,  Sioux  City,  Iowa; 
Rev.  Frank  Fox,  D.  D.,  Sioux  Falls;  Dr.  J.  O. 
Duguid,  Springfield;  Rev.  T.  J.  Brown,  Vermillion; 
Hon.  M.  J.  Chaney,  Wakonda;  A.  J.  Abbott,  Rev.  J. 
F.  Cross,  Hon.  C.  H.  Dillon,  E.  C.  Dudley,  Hon.  L.  B. 
French,  Hon.  R.  J.  Gamble,  G.  L.  Gilman,  Dr.  C.  C. 
Gross,  Alice  R.  Kingsbury,  Hon.  E.  Miner,  W.  H.  Mc- 
Vay,  H.  H.  Smith,  Hon.  Bartlett  Tripp,  L.  L.  Tyler, 
Dr.  E.  M.  Valentine,  Mrs.  Sarah  F.  Ward,  Rev.  H.  K. 
Warren,  LL.D.,  G.  G.  Wenzlaff,  E.  P.  Wilcox,  and 
George  Wilson,  Yankton.  Hon.  Bartlett  Tripp  is  Chair- 
man of  the  Board,  and  Hon.  E.  Miner,  Secretary. 

The  Board  of  Trustees,  elected  from,  and  by,  the 
Corporate  Board,  has  immediate  charge  of  the  general 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  institution.  It  con- 
sists of  twenty-one  members,  each  elected  for  three  years. 
The  Board  is  at  present  constituted  as  follows:  L.  E. 
Camfield,  C.  M.  Daley,  G.  S.  Evans,  F.  A.  McCornack, 
D.  J.  Perrin,  Bartlett  Tripp,  and  L.  L.  Tyler,  with 
term  expiring  in  June,  1907;  A.  J.  Abbott,  C.  H.  Dil- 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  147 

Ion,  A.  L.  Riggs,  J.  E.  Sinclair,  W.  H.  Thrall,  H.  K. 
Warren,  and  E.  P.  Wilcox,  with  term  expiring  in  June, 
1908;  A.  C.  Bowdish,  A.  S.  Disbrow,  Frank  Fox,  H.  W. 
Jamison,  H.  H.  Smith,  George  Wilson,  and  T.  J. 
Woodcock,  with  term  expiring  in  June,  1909.  The 
officers  of  the  Board  are  the  following:  Rev.  H.  K. 
Warren,  President;  Hon.  C.  H.  Dillon,  Vice  President; 
Prof.  G.  A.  Clark,  Secretary;  W.  H.  Edmunds,  Treas- 
urer. 

The  Faculty  includes  twenty-two  persons  —  ten 
men  and  twelve  women  —  whose  names  and  positions 
are  as  follows: 

Rev.  Henry  Kimball  Warren,  M.  A.,  LL.D.  (Olivet 
College),  President;  Professor  of  Economics,  Social 
Science,  and  Pedagogy. 

William  John  McMurtry,  B.  A.  (Olivet  College), 
M.  A.  (University  of  Michigan),  Dean  of  the  Faculty; 
Charlotte  M.  Fiske  Professor  of-Greek  and  Philosophy. 

George  Albert  Clark,  M.  Ph.  (Hillsdale  College), 
Elizabeth  S.  Fiske  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physics. 

Alice  Reynolds  Kingsbury,  M.  A.  (Yankton  College), 
Professor  of  French  and  German. 

George  Harrison  Durand,  B.  Ph.  (Oberlin  College), 
B.  A.  (Harvard),  M.  A.  (Harvard),  Professor  of  Eng- 
lish. 

George  Harvey  Scott,  B.  A.  (University  of  Illinois), 
M.  A.  (Harvard),  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  As- 
tronomy. 

Lee  Nimrod  Dailey,  Professor  of  Music  and  Director 
of  the  Conservatory. 


148  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

LeRoy  Harris  Harvey,  M.  S.  (University  of  Maine), 
Professor  of  Biology  and  Geology. 

Carl  E.  Wallace,  M.  A.  (University  of  Kansas), 
Principal  of  the  Academy;  Professor  of  History  and 
Political  Science. 

Marvin  Valette  Bennett,  M.  A.  (Wofford  College), 
Professor  of  Latin. 

Mabel  Estelle  Messner,  B.  Ph.  (Northwestern  Uni- 
versity), Dean  of  Women,  Instructor  in  German. 

Gertrude  Elizabeth  Moses,  Organist  and  Assistant 
in  Piano. 

Adeline  Miriam  Jenney,  B.  A.  (University  of  Wis- 
consin), Instructor  in  English  and  Greek. 

Corinne  Musgrove,  Instructor  in  Voice  and  History 
of  Music. 

Ida  Belle  Davis,  Instructor  in  Elocution. 

Louis  Uwercks  Todd,  B.  A.  (Oberlin  College),  Di- 
rector of  Physical  Training  for  Young  Men,  Instructor 
in  History. 

Caroline  Mary  Coman,  Director  of  Physical  Train- 
ing for  Young  Women. 

Hazel  Hope  MacGregor,  B.  S.  (Yankton  College), 
Instructor  in  Mathematics. 

Alta  Blood,  B.  A.  (Oberlin  College),  Instructor  in 
English  and  History. 

Anna  Iverson,  Instructor  in  Art. 

Edna  Hecker,  Instructor  in  Violin  and  Assistant  in 
Piano. 

Helen  Elizabeth  Miner,  Librarian. 

Twenty  classes  have  been  graduated  from  the  full 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  149 

College  courses,  including  a  total  of  ninety-nine  per- 
sons, of  whom  sixty-six  are  men,  and  thirty-three  are 
women.  The  class  about  to  graduate  at  the  approach- 
ing Commencement  will  add  nine  to  the  number  of 
Alumni,  carrying  it  well  over  into  the  second  hundred. 
Of  the  ninety-nine,  two  have  died.  The  remainder 
are  engaged,  so  far  as  is  known,  in  the  following  occu- 
pations: three  are  physicians;  six  are  lawyers;  thir- 
teen, clergymen;  four,  missionaries;  six,  business  men; 
two,  stenographers;  three,  bookkeepers;  one  is  an 
editor;  eight  are  farmers  or  ranchmen;  fourteen,  home- 
keepers;  one  is  a  college  president;  two  are  college 
professors;  three,  instructors  in  universities  or  colleges; 
one  is  Principal  of  a  state  normal  school ;  one,  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools;  six  are  Principals  of  schools; 
nine  are  teachers  in  high  schools  or  academies;  three 
are  grade-teachers;  seven  are  graduate  students  in 
various  universities  and  professional  schools. 

The  total  attendance  for  the  college  year  1905-6,  in 
all  departments,  including  the  Summer  School,  was  358. 

Needy  students  of  high  character  and  good  scholar- 
ship receive  aid  from  a  considerable  number  of  scholar- 
ships. 

The  following  endowed  scholarships  are  available: 

The  John  and  Lydia  Hawes  Wood  Scholarship  of  one 
thousand  dollars,  given  by  Rev.  John  Wood  and  wife 
of  Fitchburg,  Massachusetts,  to  the  Congregational 
Education  Society,  in  trust  for  Yankton  College,  to 
assist  evangelical  students  in  the  College  courses  study- 
ing for  the  ministry. 


150  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

Six  hundred  dollars  of  the  Tabernacle  Church 
Scholarship,  given  by  the  Tabernacle  Church,  of  Salem, 
Massachusetts. 

The  John  R.  Warriner  Memorial  Scholarship  of  five 
hundred  dollars,  given  by  Miss  Maria  R.  Warriner,  of 
Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  in  memory  of  her  father. 

The  James  H.  Kyle  Scholarship,  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  given  by  the  late  Rev.  James  H.  Kyle,  of  Aber- 
deen, South  Dakota. 

The  Albert  Shurtleff  Endowment  Fund  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  given  by  Albert  Shurtleff,  of  Richland, 
South  Dakota. 

The  Armour  Church  Scholarship  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,  given  by  citizens  of  Armour,  South 
Dakota. 

The  Mary  A.  Livermore  Vocal  Musical  Scholarship 
of  four  hundred  dollars,  given  by  Rev.  D.  P.  Liver- 
more,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

The  Disbrow  Scholarship  of  five  hundred  dollars, 
given  by  A.  S.  Disbrow,  of  Alcester,  South  Dakota. 

The  Hoard  Scholarship  of  five  hundred  dollars,  given 
by  J.  G.  Hoard,  of  Alcester,  South  Dakota. 

The  Lucinda  Smith  Scholarship  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  given  by  Lucinda  Smith,  of  South  Boston, 
Massachusetts. 

Interest  is  available  on  the  following  scholarship: 

A  scholarship  of  three  hundred  dollars,  given  by  Rev. 
C.  M.  Daley,  of  Huron,  South  Dakota. 

The  following  endowed  scholarships  are  not  avail- 
able: 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  151 

The  Julia  A.  W.  Ford  Memorial  Scholarship  of  two 
thousand  dollars,  from  the  estate  of  Mrs.  Julia  A.  W. 
Ford,  of  Lynn,  Massachusetts. 

The  Edward  Taylor  Scholarship  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  given  by  Edward  Taylor,  of  Andover,  Massa- 
chusetts, to  assist  young  men  studying  for  the  ministry. 

The  Mrs.  Lucy  W.  Swan  Memorial  Scholarship  of 
one  thousand  dollars,  given  by  C.  L.  Swan,  of  Clinton, 
Massachusetts. 

The  Edmund  Kimball  Scholarship  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  in  memory  of  Captain  Edmund  Kimball,  of 
Wenham,  Massachusetts,  "a  noble  Christian  sea- 
captain." 

A  scholarship  of  one  thousand  dollars,  given  by  Miss 
Elizabeth  S.  Fiske,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

The  Edmund  Tuttle  Memorial  Scholarship  of  five 
hundred  dollars,  given  by  Mrs.  W.  B.  Hubbard,  of 
Sherburne,  Minnesota,  in  memory  of  her  father. 

A  scholarship  of  five  hundred  dollars,  given  by  the 
Union  Congregational  Church,  of  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts. 

Four  hundred  dollars  of  the  Tabernacle  Church 
Scholarship,  given  by  the  Tabernacle  Church,  of  Salem, 
Massachusetts. 

The  immediately  preceding  pages  have  aimed  to 
give  a  brief  outline  of  the  more  tangible  facts  that  may 
convey  some  idea  of  the  results  that  have  been  attained 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  institution,  in  the  first  quarter- 
century  of  its  existence.  It  seemed  fitting  to  the  Trustees 
and  Faculty  that  the  completion  of  this  period  should 


152  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

receive  special  recognition.  It  appeared  to  them  that 
the  occasion  should  be  regarded  as  one  of  not  merely 
local  or  denominational  significance;  inasmuch  as  this 
college  was  the  first  institution  of  higher  learning  to 
begin  work  in  the  Dakotas.  Accordingly,  throughout 
the  year,  preparations  have  been  going  on  to  celebrate 
the  quarter-centennial  in  a  large  and  worthy  way. 
These  commemorative  exercises  will  take  place  during 
Commencement  week.  The  Commencement  address 
will  be  given  by  Dr.  Graham  Taylor,  of  Chicago.  The 
special  features  of  the  week  will  consist  of  brief  ad- 
dresses, relating  to  the  past  history  of  the  College,  by 
present  and  former  members  of  the  Faculty  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Alumni;  addresses  by  some  of  the 
most  prominent  Congregationalists  of  the  country;  an 
address  of  welcome  by  the  President  of  the  College, 
to  which  responses  will  be  given  by  representatives  of 
the  Nation,  State,  and  City,  of  colleges  and  universities 
within  and  without  the  State,  and  of  the  Alumni;  mu- 
sical and  other  entertainments;  all  to  conclude  with 
a  "Town  and  College"  Banquet,  to  be  given  by  the 
Trustees,  Faculty,  Alumni,  and  the  Commercial  Asso- 
ciation of  Yankton.  It  is  expected  that  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  Alumni,  former  students,  and  friends  of  the 
College  will  be  present;  and  that  the  whole  occasion 
will  be  one  of  unique  significance  in  the  history  of  the 
institution.  It  is  earnestly  hoped,  also,  that  there  may 
spring  from  it  a  renewed  interest  in,  and  enthusiasm 
for,  the  College,  on  the  part  of  all  its  friends  and  sup- 
porters —  an  interest  and  enthusiasm  that  shall  result 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  153 

in  a  strong  and  lasting  impetus  to  future  growth  and 
development. 

To  emphasize  still  further  the  importance  of  the 
Anniversary  Celebration,  a  number  of  special  publica- 
tions are  being  prepared,  including  a  beautiful  and 
artistic  book  of  views  of  the  College  and  of  the  Town; 
a  special  illustrated  Anniversary  number  of  The  Stu- 
dent that  shall  constitute  a  record  worthy  of  the  occasion, 
and,  finally,  this  historical  sketch  of  the  first  twenty-five 
years  in  the  life  of  the  institution. 

So  much  for  the  past  and  present.  What  of  the 
future  ?  What  record  of  inspiring  successes,  or  of  dis- 
heartening failures  will  the  coming  quarter-century 
unfold?  That  a  large  measure  of  success  has  already 
been  attained,  and  that,  too,  in  the  face  of  great  diffi- 
culties, no  one  can  deny;  and  it  would  seem  that  the 
substantial  achievements  of  the  past  furnish  a  strong 
pledge  of  continued  progress  in  the  future.  Never- 
theless, the  difficulties  are  far  from  having  taken  a 
final  departure.  Doubtless,  it  is  largely  true  that  the 
more  a  college  gets,  the  more  it  needs;  and  the  day 
is  far  remote  when  Yankton  College  will  cease  to  be, 
in  part,  dependent  upon  the  generous  gifts  of  those  who 
appreciate  the  service  rendered  by  such  institutions. 
More  and  more,  however,  must  such  gifts  come  from 
home  friends,  rather  than  from  generous  Eastern 
givers.  Our  State  is  rapidly  developing  in  wealth; 
and,  naturally,  it  is  felt  by  those  in  the  East  who  have 
the  ability  and  the  willingness  to  give,  that  their  bene- 
factions should  be  turned  in :  directions  where  gr'eater 


154  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

need  exists.  Yet,  money  is  not  the  only  requisite  for  the 
building  up  of  a  strong  and  influential  college.  Stu- 
dents, also,  must  be  attracted  and  held.  With  the 
development,  however,  of  the  public  high  schools, 
which  has  already  begun  in  the  State,  and  which  will 
proceed  with  greater  rapidity  in  the  future,  less  and  less 
may  our  Academy  be  looked  to  for  supplying  College 
students;  and  more  and  more  must  the  College  mani- 
fest an  ability  to  draw  to  itself  a  due  proportion  of  the 
graduates  of  high  schools,  to  the  end  that  it  may  lead 
them  on  into  larger,  richer,  more  fruitful  lives.  Only 
so  can  the  institution  carry  out  the  high  purposes  for 
which  it  was  established;  for  which  Dr.  Ward  pleaded 
so  eloquently  in  his  inaugural  address.  Nevertheless, 
here,  at  the  point  of  highest  duty  and  privilege,  is  located 
also  Yankton's  special  difficulty.  For  a  number  of 
reasons,  chief  among  which  are,  perhaps,  proximity 
to  the  State  University;  location  on  the  very  border  of 
the  State;  the  existence  of  a  second  Congregational 
college  in  the  State;  a  certain  lack  of  denominational 
loyalty  more  characteristic  of  Congregationalists  than 
of  denominations  under  the  control  of  strong  eccle- 
siastical organizations;  finally,  the  fidelity  with  which 
Yankton  has,  on  the  whole,,  adhered  to  the  college  ideal, 
to  the  neglect  of  appeals  to  the  so-called  practical  in- 
terests of  possible  students  —  for  all  these  reasons  and, 
possibly,  others,  the  increase  in  attendance,  especially 
in  the  regular  collegiate  classes,  is  not  fully  commen- 
surate with  the  fine  record  which  the  institution,  has 
made,  nor  with  its  equipment,  which,  for  regular  col- 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  155 

lege  work,  is  probably  unequaled  elsewhere  in  the 
State,  nor  with  the  ability  and  training  of  its  Faculty. 
The  question  arises,  then,  as  to  the  method  by  which 
the  College  may  realize  the  surely  not  unworthy  ambi- 
tion of  utilizing,  for  the  good  of  the  Commonwealth 
as  well  as  its  own  continued  development  and  increase 
in  influence  and  helpfulness,  all  the  resources  and 
capacities  for  the  enlargement  and  enrichment  of  young 
lives  that  it  possesses.  Shall  this  high  end  be  sought 
by  a  lowering  of  ideals;  by,  at  least,  ceasing  to  make 
the  development  of  a  college,  in  the  best  and  truest 
sense  of  the  word,  the  one  dominant  purpose,  to  which 
everything  that  is  opposed  must  give  way?  To  this 
question,  I  would  reply  that  such  a  solution  of  our 
problem  would  be  a  mistaken  solution;  that  it  would 
involve  an  abandonment  of  the  basis  upon  which  the 
institution  was  founded;  that  it  would  mean  the  re- 
nouncement of  that  which  has  been  the  most  worthy 
element  in  the  past  success  of  the  institution,  namely: 
its  fidelity  to  the  college  idea  and  ideals  —  to  those 
conceptions  of  the  meaning  and  function  of  the  col- 
lege as  an  institution  that  were  so  admirably  expressed 
by  Dr.  Ward  at  the  beginning.  In  his  inaugural  ad- 
dress, he  gives  utterance  to  the  most  frank  and  un- 
sparing criticism  of  certain  tendencies  that  were  mani- 
festing themselves  in  the  life  of  that  period,  and  with 
special  rankness  of  growth  in  Western  communities  — 
the  mad  rush  for  wealth  and  power,  the  impatience  to 
realize  speedy  and  tangible  results,  the  inability  to 
appreciate  .the  importance  of  a  quiet,  patient>  long- 


156  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

continued  effort  to  reap  the  fruits  of  the  spirit,  as  con- 
stituting the  only  satisfying  and  lasting  outcome  of 
human  life.  Speaking  approvingly  of  Matthew  Ar- 
nold's criticism  of  American  life  as  lacking  in  sanity 
and  poise,  he  raises  the  following  question  in  sub- 
stance :  If  the  English  critic,  as  the  result  of  his  observ- 
ation of  American  life  as  manifested  in  the  East,  with 
its  stores  of  inherited  culture  and  refinement,  felt  im- 
pelled to  give  expression  to  his  sense  of  serious  defects, 
what  would  he  have  said,  had  he  come  into  contact 
with  Western  life?  In  like  manner,  we  may  say: 
If  Dr.  Ward  thus  judged  of  American  and  Western  life 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  what  words  could  he 
find  suitable  for  expressing  what  he  would  now  feel, 
had  he  the  opportunity  of  observing  how,  during  that 
time,  the  tendencies  toward  practical  materialism  and 
atheism  as  manifested  in  a  mad  struggle  for  wealth, 
for  power,  for  social  position  and  display,  even  at  the 
sacrifice  of  peace  and  happiness  and  honor,  have  be- 
come still  stronger,  still  more  widely  prevalent  ? 

Pleasant  it  is  to  admit  that  recent  years  have  wit- 
nessed a  formidable  revolt  against  this  triumph  of  ma- 
terialistic principles  and  practices,  especially  in  defense 
of  the  great  ideal  of  Social  Righteousness.  Yet,  who 
can  deny  that,  for  many  a  year  to  come,  there  will  be 
need  that  all  the  forces  and  institutions  pledged  to  the 
upholding  of  an  idealistic,  a  truly  Christian,  interpre- 
tation of  life,  should  unceasingly  offer  the  most  stren- 
uous opposition  to .  the  smug  Philistinism  involved  in 
the  unquestioning  .beliei  that  outward  success  —  the 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  157 

attainment  of  a  respectable  position  and  social  recogni- 
tion —  is  the  one  sole,  all-inclusive  end  of  life,  by  which 
the  worth  of  everything  else  must  be  measured?  In 
truth,  the  wide-spread  prevalence  of  this  totally  inade- 
quate, this  fundamentally  unchristian  conception  of  the 
meaning  and  end  of  life,  opposed  as  it  is  to  Christ's 
doctrine  of  seeking  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness,  in  the  peaceful  confidence  that  the  other 
things,  so  far  as  they  are  needed,  will  be  added,  is  the 
main  source  of  the  chief  evils  —  the  vulgar,  sordid 
ambitions,  the  restless  strivings,  the  inability  to  enjoy 
the  simple  pleasures  of  life,  the  lack  of  reverence  for 
what  is  high  and  noble,  the  betrayal  of  private  and 
public  trusts  —  which  infest  American  life  to-day,  and 
cause  the  world  to  wonder  whether  its  boasted  democ- 
racy is  not  a  hollow  pretense  and  mockery;  for,  surely, 
it  is  the  fundamental  principle  of  democracy  that  in  the 
human  personality  itself,  rather  than  in  the  outward 
and  artificial  trappings  whether  of  hereditary  rank 
or  of  material  wealth,  lies  the  true  seat  and  measure  of 
worth  and  dignity. 

Is  it  not  just  this  point  of  weakness,  of  peril  to  the 
lasting  success  of  democratic  principles  and  ideals,  that 
the  American  college  is  called  upon  to  strengthen  and 
defend  —  called  upon  by  past  traditions  and  ideals; 
by  the  deepest  needs,  the  most  threatening  dangers  of 
the  present;  finally,  by  the  most  momentous  issues  of 
the  future?  Certainly,  no  more  fitting,  no  more  im- 
portant task  can  the  college  as  an  institution  find  than 
to  lead  the  minds  and  hearts  of  young  men  and  women 


158  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

of  exceptional  endowments  and  ambitions  into  a  large 
and  true  view  of  what  life  really  means,  or  may  mean ; 
of  what  is  the  best  use  to  which  their  endowments  can 
be  put;  of  what  are  the  highest  and  noblest  ends  to 
which  their  ambitions  can  be  directed.  These  su- 
premely important  lessons  can  be  conveyed  only  by  the 
adequate  teaching  of  the  best  in  the  realms  of  thought, 
of  feeling,  and  of  action,  yet  attained  by  the  race,  in  an 
atmosphere  pervaded  by  the  spirit  of  these  supreme 
results  of  human  endeavor,  with  the  aid  of  such  student- 
organizations  and  activities  as  shall  tgive  opportunity 
for  the  practical  application  of  the  lessons  of  idealism, 
and  for  the  development  of  the  spirit  of  fellowship  and 
of  social  service  and  unselfish  leadership.  An  insti- 
tution pursuing  such  aims,  with  such  a  spirit  animating 
its  teachers  and  students,  has  a  rightful  claim  to  the  hon- 
orable designation  of  American  College.  The  grad- 
uates of  such  an  institution  will  go  forth  with  a  clear 
insight  into  the  defects  of  popular  standards  and  ideals 
—  an  insight  that  will  lead  them  to  assume  an  attitude, 
not  of  critical  Pharisaism,  but  of  earnest  desire  to  con- 
tribute what  in  them  lies  of  help  and  guidance;  assur- 
edly, they  will  not  go  forth  with  the  attainment  of  out- 
ward personal  success  as  their  chief  aim  in  life  —  an 
aim  that  would  make  it  easy  and  natural  for  them  to 
adopt  the  tricks  of  trade,  the  politician's  wiles,  the  sac  - 
rifice  of  principle  to  cheap  popularity. 

In  a  new,  and,  as  yet,  largely  undeveloped  common- 
wealth, from  necessity  much  engrossed  with  material 
interests,  the  development  of  such  an  institution  will, 


THE  PRESENT  AND   FUTURE  159 

necessarily,  be  slow.  Fine,  highly  organized  fruit 
must  not  be  expected  to  equal  the  pumpkin  in  rapidity  of 
growth.  Unavoidably,  such  an  institution  must  be 
itself  one  of  the  main  agencies  in  begetting  in  the  public 
mind  a  perception  and  appreciation  of  the  need  and 
worth  of  it.  But  if  an  institution  remains  true  to  such 
a  high  and  truly  democratic  conception  of  its  mission, 
that  perception  and  appreciation  are  sure  to  come.  It 
will  be  clearly  seen  that  no  institution,  of  whatever 
sort,  deserves  more  highly  of  the  State,  than  one  which 
instills  into  the  minds  and  hearts  of  young  men  and 
women  such  a  spirit  of  loyal,  unselfish  devotion  to  the 
highest  and  best  interests  of  the  Commonwealth.  Cer- 
tainly, an  indispensable  condition  of  the  development 
of  such  a  spirit  of  appreciation  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  the  State  is  an  attitude  of  manifest  loyalty  to 
all  the  interests  and  institutions  of  the  State,  on  the  part 
of  everyone  connected  with  the  College.  An  admir- 
able illustration  of  the  right  attitude  is  furnished 
by  the  part  played  by  President  Warren  in  the  move- 
ment that  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  State  Asso- 
ciation of  Charities  and  Correction.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  connection  with  the  passage  of  a  bill,  during 
the  recent  session  of  the  Legislature,  authorizing  the 
construction  of  a  new  building  for  the  State  University, 
it  was  insinuated  in  the  papers  that  the  Yankton 
County  members  voted  against  the  bill  because  of  their 
interest  in  the  local  institution.  I  know  nothing  what- 
ever as  to  the  truthfulness  of  the  insinuation;  but,  with 
the  fullest  appreciation  of  the  desire  to  be  loyal  to  the 


160  YANKTON  COLLEGE 

College,  I  am  very  sure  that  any  such  partisan  mani- 
festation of  that  desire,  whenever  and  wherever  it 
occurs,  works  ultimately  for  the  injury,  not  the  benefit, 
of  the  institution. 

I  close  with  a  reiteration  of  my  unquestioning  accept- 
ance of  two  beliefs:  first,  that  the  most  important 
factor  in  the  success  of  our  College,  during  the  first 
quarter-century  of  her  existence,  has  been  a  large  meas- 
ure of  fidelity  to  the  historic  ideals  and  aims  of  the 
American  College;  second,  that  the  strongest  pledge  of 
the  continuance  of  her  success  during  the  second  quar- 
ter-century will  be  an  increasingly  earnest  and  thorough 
devotion  of  herself  and  all  her  powers  and  resources  to 
the  embodiment  of  those  same  great  ideals  in  the  minds 
and  hearts  and  lives  of  her  students,  and,  through  them, 
in  the  life  and  institutions  of  our  State;  amid  whatever 
changes  in  means  and  methods  changing  times  and 
circumstances  may  render  advisable. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


?  ?-2'64 

..^U   i    i) 

NOV  1  7  'fid  ic 

M 

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